Intermission
by BuggyFiction
Summary: They met over a hundred years ago and meet again on the Ancestral Plane. This time, it's her turn to help out a friend. Bella/Kol friendship. REVIVAL: Bella/Kol relationship. It's his turn to help her now.
1. Chapter 1

**Warning:** Doucheward is a douche. No details in story, no trigger warning warranted.

 **Trigger warning:** Bella's unofficial diagnosis is Autism, there are parts in this story that deals with the not-so-pretty side (depression, mental break, asylum). No real/gory details mentioned throughout the story, but it's skimmed upon.

 **Author's Note:** Timeframe: During season 3 of The Originals. Story turned out way bigger than it was supposed to, so I'll be writing a sequel. I am Autistic with an anxiety disorder on the side. My door is always open if you need to talk.

 **Author's Note:** Written for the Fandom For Mental Health fundraiser. This story was exclusive to the compilation they put out. Nearly 4500 USD was raised for charities concerning Mental Health!

~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~~oOo~

Bella always liked watching the newcomers arrive at the cemetery. She usually sat perched on one of the tombs as the newly consecrated witch appeared on the Ancestral Plane, usually with a confused look on their face and unsure what to do next. Bella wasn't a people person, and it took many years for her Ancestors to realize that they should just leave her be. If she wanted to have someone to talk to; she would seek someone out herself.

The whispers were that one person was coming to join them, to add to the power of the Ancestors, and she was surprised to see two souls appear. One of them being the one of Kol Mikaelson, and the Ancestors weren't pleased. She watched as he was picked up by the burst of magic that the Ancestors shot at him and flew over her head, outside the cemetery. She grinned, magic was so awesome.

The new kid was Kaleb Westphall. He explained that he was finally free of being possessed by the spirit of Kol Mikaelson and thanked the Ancestors for accepting him as one of them. He looked cute. Freakishly tall, but cute. He was angry with Kol, though, and he couldn't wait to finally beat the living daylights out of him. What was it with men? She had seen it before when other warlocks would join them, the anger, the testosterone, was still raging like mad upon arrival.

Deciding she had heard enough, she quietly retreated to her little slice of the afterlife. Sure, she could go after Kol Mikaelson and say 'hello', but what was the point? He had told her he never wanted to see her again all those years ago, and she wasn't about to bother him with a warm welcome.

She had ghost pigs and ghost goats to take care of. There was a hole in the fence because one of the pigs wanted to escape and she needed to fix it. It was funny how sometimes the offerings made by the life witches appeared in the afterlife, and no one was taking care of those frightened, sometimes traumatized animals. Before she got there, they were running through the empty version of New Orleans, and while it was fun to watch them run around like that, she knew that they would feel better when contained.

So she became a pig and goat farmer. Not that she'd ever get babies from them or whatever, or they'd be food - because hunger wasn't something you'd get when dead - but the animals were good people. Not challenging and predictable. She liked predictable things. They weren't difficult - only when they wanted to escape, but a simple magic spell made sure they always returned. Sometimes, just sometimes, she let them roam freely, just to see the chaos unfold in front of her and have them scare the Ancestors.

No, she wasn't crazy. Maybe the afterlife had made her a tiny bit loopy. Maybe. Who wouldn't go a little bit crazy after being dead but not dead for a century? The Ancestors certainly were nuts, acting like they were better than anyone else, looking down on alive people when they came to the cemetery, spitting on the vampires, making it seem like bird droppings. When she killed herself, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Eternally wandering around the city she had grown to hate had not been one of her plans.

It wasn't fair. He'd finally been accepted in his siblings pact of 'Always and Forever' when he died because his older brother put a hex on him. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair. And sure, when Rebekah told him that they'd consecrate his body so that his spirit could be accepted by the Ancestors, he had thought it'd be a piece of cake.

He died a witch. He was a witch.

Wrong.

He was an abomination; that's what he was. Sure, he'd been a witch before his mother turned him into this monster and she had brought him back from the Other Side, but not in his body. No, his body was in a jar in Niklaus' study - ashes. In essence, Kaleb was the witch whose body was consecrated and Kol'd been merely a passenger on the ride to the Ancestral Plane.

A hitchhiker and unwelcome. And the worst of it all, his magic didn't work here, because he was still an Original Vampire spirit and vampires couldn't do magic. He knew his sister was working hard on finding a spell to return him to the land of the living - again, but such magic was hard to come by. Even he knew that.

He'd been evading the Ancestors for weeks, if not months, now, all the while keeping an eye on Davina and he didn't like the choices she was making. He couldn't keep tabs on her the usual way, so he only got snippets, but he could feel her presence leave the Ancestors at one point and hoped that she was alright. Shunning never meant anything good and knowing his squeeze; she'd figure out something else. She was smart like that. Perhaps too clever and too naive at the same time and that could be disastrous.

The vampire wished that he could look at other people like he had done when Kol was on the Other Side, but it was near to impossible with the Ancestors right on his heels whenever he managed to use his residual magic. Oh, he fought the Ancestors off as well as he could, but dead people simply didn't get any deader. On occasion he allowed himself to be beaten up or hurt otherwise, if there was one thing the Ancestors were good at, it was the art of torture.

He pretended that they were successful at dampening his spirits, but he was simply biding his time until his sister, or Davina, would find a safe spell to bring him back. He was NOT staying here. He merely hoped that they would find a safe way to get him back and not that they'd have to sacrifice a lot. He wasn't worth them giving up their safety.

It seemed like everyone wanted a piece of him on the Ancestral plane. He and his siblings killed quite a few of them, the Deveraux witches were especially tenacious, and the only places he could truly hide was on the outskirts of it all; the witches found it too dangerous to even go there. They weren't fond of pubs either, but they didn't mind going in once they knew he was in one.

And no, he wasn't afraid of them. Well, perhaps a little. Most of the dead witches still had their magic here, and while he still had some magic of his own, it wasn't nearly enough. And without his vampire strength and speed, all he had was the ability to win in a fist fight. But witches used magic, and he couldn't get anywhere close to them before being thrown across wherever he was at the time.

Part of him didn't mind getting his ass kicked for the shitty things that he and his family had done over the years, or perhaps he came to this reasoning because the Ancestral Plane was dark, very dark. The Ancestors weren't all that loving after all.

She had always found it fascinating that the Ancestral Plane still had alcohol. She once drank every bottle in a bar - it wasn't as if she could die from alcohol poisoning - and a day later it was all there again. Luckily, hangovers didn't exist there, even though everything else could hurt you or bruise you.

She'd been dead for nearly a century, and it was fascinating to see that the Ancestral Plane changed as New Orleans changed. Her favorite bar was currently Rousseau's. She'd been there a few times, using the music box while she danced around and drank.

It had been far too long since she got plastered like that, and now that Kol was on her side, she needed to drink to forget. He was going to stick around for a while, wasn't he? He was dead. Truly dead and this time as a witch. How that had happened, she wasn't quite sure, but at least he had lived the life he'd always wanted for himself.

But he was still a giant asshole.

When she walked into the street Rousseau's was at, she realized that not only was he a giant asshole; he also needed saving. "Leave him alone!" She yelled at the witches who were casting spells on him, before realizing that she, too, still had magic and pushed them away, setting up a barrier to protect Kol, who looked stunned to see her.

Yeah, she wasn't quite sure why she helped him, either.

She kept casting spells until they scattered before dropping the barrier and walked into the bar to take a bottle of wine and settle in for the night while the music box played softly. It didn't take long for Kol to enter. Of course, he never could leave things unfinished. He pretended that he could, but something always kept nagging in the back of his head. The maniac did have some sort of moral compass, after all, in his twisted way. Or perhaps it was his curiosity.

"You're a sight for sore eyes," he replied, trying to sound happy and excited, but she could hear that he wasn't. From her corner on the bench, she eyed him and took a sip of his wine. "I didn't fancy you for sticking around and help the living to have more power."

"I was consecrated, Kol, I'm stuck here until they decide to let me go," she said as she took another sip of her wine. "But they probably won't, seeing as I took my life and this is hell."

"You don't remember how you died?" Kol was standing at the table now, waiting for Bella to give him a sign that he could sit down. "Love, you didn't kill yourself."

Bella let out a snort as she took another drink from the bottle. "They said I cursed myself after Edward left and my baby died," she murmured as she slightly shrugged. "Apparently it was an accident. And it's been a hundred years; I'm dead. No big deal. I merely wished that I didn't have to be here." She then pointed at him. "How come you're here?"

"Long story, darling, one you don't need to hear," he replied kindly as he sat down across from her and sighed. "You didn't kill yourself."

She mimicked his sigh and shrugged. "I did. Did you know, some of the witches they consecrated over the years had psychological degrees? I talked to them, a lot, about my life. To find some sort of peace with it all, I guess."

"Why did you do that?"

"Because I wasn't like anyone else when I was alive. I still am not like anyone else, I guess. I'm doing better, but it hasn't gone away completely. I wanted to know what was wrong with me. My daddy sent me away for a reason and didn't tell the family I was going to that I was slightly peculiar, but I suppose they found out when I didn't share the same interests as their daughter."

"I liked you; you know that."

Bella took a longer swig of her bottle of wine. "You took advantage of my magic, Kol Mikaelson. You took advantage of my inability to see the bad in people."

His jaw fell open in mock surprise. "But I also took care of you; I hooked you up with your old man when you were too crazy and old to-"

She smashed the bottle on the table and rose to her feet, quick to hold the serrated bottle close to his face. She might not be able to kill him, but she could hurt him. She didn't like the surge of anger and sadness that washed over her. She had done so well to keep those feelings at bay, but Kol's betrayal in the past still stung. And the memory of Edward put even more fuel on that fire. "How could I've been so stupid?"

"Well, in all fairness, you weren't right in the head." She wasn't going to hurt him, too, was she? Nah, Bella wouldn't do that. She was too meek, too kind, to even consider cutting him. Then why had she broken the bottle? "Who can resist such a handsome face like mine?"

"I can," she said bitterly as she threw the bottle against the nearest wall. "I can't believe I saved you from the witches. Next time, I'll egg them on," Bella continued as she walked out of the bar. She hated to feel this way and while she could completely understand most of the Ancestors with their hatred towards Kol, she didn't want to stoop to their level and hurt him. It was bad enough that he was here and knowing his family, knowing him, he wasn't going to be there much longer. She was just going to have to stay clear from him and until he'd leave, spend time with the ghost goats.

"Hey, wait up," Kol's voice sounded, and she kept marching. She couldn't go straight to her goats now; he'd know her hidey hole. No, she was going to walk towards the cemetery where the other witches were. They'd kick him away again. Rid her of him. Yes. Great idea. "Bella, come on. Why are you angry at me? You knew how I was, who I am."

She let out a cry of frustration and turned around to face him. "Yes. And the family put me in that asylum for a reason, Kol. To unburden them. To make sure I wasn't a burden to anyone else. I'd never find a husband, and you got me out of there!"

"You were miserable!"

"You never asked me if I wanted to leave!" Bella shot back at him. "I was fine where I was. I was taken care of and not in anyone's way. No, it was your ego that came in there, killed half of the people who were taking care of others and took me away because you liked my magic."

"It wasn't as if I left you unattended," Kol huffed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "You didn't belong there. You weren't crazy." Maybe it was because death erased most ailments, but she was doing better, she wasn't even afraid of making eye contact with him and didn't stumble over - or mince, for that matter - her words. "You're still not." No, she was angry. But was she angry with him or herself?

"But I was, Kol. I still am. I'm merely able to hide it better now that I'm dead."

"And I got you the husband you so desperately wanted, no, needed, for your survival. All you could do was mope and complain after I took you away from the asylum."

"Yeah, and you got me Edward. Good job," she said sarcastically as she turned around again and continued to walk away from him. "You should have left me alone, because after finding him, you told me you never wanted to see me again anyway because you'd grown bored of me. I wished you'd have killed me then."

"You're not being fair."

"I'm not?" She let out a laugh. "You killed everyone you came in contact with; you never cared for controlling your blood lust, and yet, you allowed me to live? Why? You nearly killed me a couple of times after our first meeting, so why not do it?"

"You're not fair."

"I don't care," she said as she kept walking. "I've died before it was my time because you couldn't leave well enough alone, so yes, I'm not too happy with you. When are they going to bring you back? Any idea?"

"I might be stuck here forever."

"Good luck, then."

"Do you think I like being here?" He put a hand on her shoulder to stop her from walking, earning him to be knocked flat on his ass by her magic. She didn't like to be touched; he had forgotten about that. "My mother brought me back as a witch after I died the first time. It's only because of my brother Finn that I'm here! I liked being a witch again. Honestly."

She eyed him as he spoke, knowing that he was telling the truth. "Your mother hijacked an innocent boy's body to bring you back."

"Well yes, that's unforgivable, and I'm still waiting for him to take a swing at me, but he gave me a second chance, darling, and I loved every moment of it. Until Finn hexed me. You see, mother brought him back from the dead too."

"I heard," she said with a shrug. "The Ancestors were pissed off about Finn, mainly because Vincent Griffith is such a powerful witch who's done inexplicable things with his former wife."

"I swear, I didn't know she was insane when I put Rebekah in her as a joke."

Bella shrugged. "I suppose there hadn't been any time for anyone to inform you about the Dowager's House, how your brother made sure it was turned into a witch' prison after your stunt with the diamond and stuff."

"Ah, so you do know."

"No," she said innocently. "At first, sure, I kept an eye on you from this side, but after you had gotten yourself daggered, I didn't have anything to watch, so I started to focus on my own healing. I sometimes eavesdrop on the Ancestors. Or you know, the rest of the dead witches, when I'm bored."

"And how's that working out for you?" He smiled at her, finally getting off his ass and back on his feet.

"Slightly embarrassed by the resentment I hold towards you," she sighed and looked in the direction she'd been meaning to take; the way to the cemetery to make sure Kol would leave her alone, but she figured he could use a friend. "How are they planning on bringing you back?" She turned into an alley as she walked, directing them away from the cemetery and towards her safe place. She had no reason to be on high alert with him. While dead, she was stronger than he was. Powerful, he had barely anything magical left in him. The feeling of having to be vigilant - or hyper-vigilant in her case - eased, and she relaxed.

"I haven't got the foggiest, but both my sister and my girlfriend vowed to-"

"Girlfriend?" Bella couldn't help but let out a snort. "You? And she's still alive?"

"I was human, darling," he said frustrated. "Everything's different when you're human. No heightened senses for one. No bloodlust… I loved it. Now, I understand that they can't put me in another person's body so that I can stay human."

Turning another corner, she was slightly surprised that Kol followed her. For all he knew, she could be leading him to the rest of the Ancestors. "That'd be rude."

"Perhaps, but they're likely going to use my ashes. That's all I'm going to say about it. You never know who might be listening in this place."

Shrugging, she kept walking. Kol was close to her, but still at a safe distance, something she preferred, and he had remembered. "I doubt the Ancestors will allow them to resurrect you."

He smirked, then. It was a good thing that Rebekah hadn't been asked to become a New Orleans witch in Eve's body and that Davina had been shunned. "Oh, I know, but the Ancestors tend to forget that there's more magic in the world than the one that's fuelled by them."

Bella huffed. "I wouldn't put it passed their arrogance, no."

"You should come back with me. The world is different now, more accepting of others and I'm pretty sure you'll love the city."

"No."

"That's it? No?"

"Exactly. No," she repeated as she took a left. "Dead is dead."

"But you'll be able to get a second chance at life!"

"I just want to be dead!" She was starting to regret that she'd canceled her original plan, and it was too late now to stop. She wasn't quite dead now, was she? Sure, her physical body had perished and turned into nothing but bones by now, but she was still sentient. Bella was an Ancestor now. Maybe she should allow Kol to bring her back, only for her to kill herself, or get killed, and leaving instructions to be cremated. To be turned to ash.

Kol didn't take 'no' for an answer anyway. If he had made up his mind about something, chances were that they were going to happen. Such as 'breaking her out' of the asylum her sponsors had put her in. Still, she wouldn't get her hopes up. She liked Kol's newfound positivity and ability to have absolute faith in his sister and the shunned regent, but spells like that were difficult. Dangerous. "Your family thinks they can get away with anything, play God, whatever, well, I'm not playing along. You will not bring me back with you."

"You have to admit, it's tempting," he teased her as he looked around. "You brought me to the Cullen estate?" It was as if he'd stepped back in time. In the living version of New Orleans, the house had been demolished years ago. Why was she holding on to this house? The answer to that question came soon enough once she lead him around back. There were at least a dozen of ghost goats and twice as much as chickens and some pigs. "What's this?"

"Sometimes the Ancestors keep the spirits of the offers to them," Bella shrugged as she opened the gate so that Kol could enter. "I thought I'd keep them in one place instead of them walking around in fear."

"They're animals."

"And they have feelings too," she said as she closed the gate and walked through the yard to get to the back door of the house. "And I know what you're thinking."

"I doubt it," he said as he hesitantly followed her, eyeing the animals.

"I should let go, allow the Ancestral Plane to get caught up with the way New Orleans is now, let go of this house," she lovingly ran her hand along the wall as she made her way to the parlor. "And perhaps I should, but on the other hand, this is where I spent the last years of my life."

Everything was as he remembered it. He couldn't imagine she was happy in this house. "You like to torture yourself then?"

Shrugging, she allowed herself to fall onto the couch and looked at him. "It's not torture. It's a reminder of how you set me up with Edward after springing me from the asylum. Despite Edward's … shortcomings and temper… he did care for me. And I killed him. It pains me, still, that -"

Kol blinked at that. Had she truly forgotten the way that she died? How Edward died? He had heard different versions now, and he was worried. Had the witches altered her memory somehow or was it the trauma that had done this to her? "Bella, please," he said as he lifted her legs and sat down on the sofa, placing her feet gently in his lap. He understood where her anger came from now.

If she didn't want to be resurrected for another life, then perhaps he could give her the peace of mind that she needed to move on. To leave this place. She didn't belong here. While all the other Ancestors were nearly always together or at least running in packs, she hadn't joined a particular group.

Looking at her, he realized that she looked caught or stuck. He could almost see the gears in her head rotate faster and faster to change the subject. And she did. "Hey, so if they bring you back with your ashes, does that mean you're going to be a vampire again?"

He scowled at that. Yes. Yes, that meant that he was going to be a bloody vampire again. "It'll be different this time."

"How so?"

A big smile appeared on Kol's face. "Because of Davina. I truly love her, Bella. I'd do anything for her and make sure she doesn't get hurt. I'll behave, I promise."

She hummed a response.

"What?"

"What about your blood lust?"

He huffed. "It's not that hard to get under control, I never really felt like controlling it. It's far too much fun to maim and kill."

"But you'll control it?"

"For Davina? Yes."

She hummed again and shrugged. "If you get out of here."

"Of course."

Almost as if she heard something that wasn't there, she sat up and cocked her head. "Speaking of the devil… She's on Bourbon Street. Here. Grab her before they get to her, they're not too happy."

"She's here?" Kol shot up and looked at her. "You're not pulling my leg or anything?"

"Find her," she smiled at him. "I'll be here when you return."

The Ancestors worked a little bit like some sort of hive mind. She had long learned how to 'tune out', but she thought it would be wise to tune back in. Not that Kol needed a savior, no, he liked getting beaten up, she figured as much, but because should the Ancestors do anything to hurt the shunned witch that came to visit him, Bella could do something about it. Or try to, at least.

She had to scrape Kol up from the floor of St. Anne's and brought him back home where he could recuperate. Thanks to her goats, chickens and pigs, the other witches didn't like to come to her place, and Kol would be semi-safe. Unless he'd piss her off, then he'd have a problem. Bella pushed him onto the couch and lit a fire before leaving him to find him some alcohol to drink. He looked defeated and worried, and she didn't particularly liked that look on his face. It always meant that there was going to be trouble. For who? It was likely to be for all of them.

"I have to admit," Bella said as she handed Kol the bottle of bourbon. "She's a crafty little witch, isn't she?"

Kol sighed as he opened the bottle and took a swig. "It was incredible to see her again, she doesn't even mind this face, how great is that!" He laughed and shook his head. "No one can resist this handsome face."

"I can," Bella countered with a flat tone of voice as she sat down in one of the armchairs. "It has never been a problem to resist you."

"So you keep saying," he winked at her. "She came down here to tell me that she found a spell to bring me back and wanted me to look it over. Davina knew I was lying when I said it was a fake."

"But hey, that's great, she found a way to bring you back!"

Sighing again, he took another swig of the alcohol. "It's a Strix spell. Now, back in the old days, my brother Elijah set up a secret society of the world's greatest minds - all vampires, of course - and they're a bunch of dicks. They have their own coven, and they're dangerous. The Strix and those witches. I don't want her to be involved in that."

"And let me guess… she won't back down because she wants to bring you back?"

"Exactly and there's nothing I can do about it."

Bella shrugged. "Just let it happen and then protect her when you're out. Help her then. Kill the coven and satisfy your blood lust. It's not like you to be so afraid, Kol. Man up."

Kol snorted. "Fine."

"Don't act as if you have a better offer, Kol. You want to return to your family; she's providing the chance. It'll be everything you want."

"And I want you to come back with me."

"Not this again," she rolled her eyes at him and relaxed into the chair. She couldn't wait for him to go away.

Over the course of the next few days - if you could call them days, the Ancestral Plane was always so dark, she heard chatter from the Ancestors that they were slightly freaking out about Davina having been with them to talk to the Mikaelson vampire. They knew that there was no stopping her now that Davina wasn't connected to them anymore. Bella didn't tell Kol, of course, she didn't want him to worry with hear-say.

And Kol disappeared mid-sentence when she and he were talking again. Part of her was glad, because the conversation had once again landed on her death, but she was worried. It hadn't been a big spell that had swept him away; it was likely a dark object of some sort. No resurrection spell. If it had been, she would have been able to feel it. Damn, that Davina Claire was one crafty witch. Possibly a bitch, too, like her Ancestor.

She decided to spend a little time with the Ancestors, to spy on them. See what they were up to, and walked into the graveyard when Kaleb was spitting out hate towards Kol. It wasn't a secret that the Ancestors loathed the Mikaelsons. They'd rather see them gone after all the misery and all, and Kaleb's anger was more personal. Thanks to the Mikaelsons, his life ended prematurely and for nearly a year his body had been taken over by an Original. Kaleb was even more toxic than a Mikaelson, in Bella's opinion. He was trying to entice the Ancestors to do more work of disrupting the Mikaelsons through the regent. Kill them, if they had to.

Bella scowled. The Ancestors agreed that something needed to be done, that a plan had already been set in motion to make sure that the Mikaelsons suffered, and likely would die. By the time she'd gathered her information and went back to the house, Kol was back, looking tired and fed up. Scared, even.

"It's not good," he said as he lifted a chair and threw it across the room. "I wish there was a way I could warn my brothers. They're… Oh, why does she have to be so clever and so bloody stubborn!" Kol kicked against the table, and Bella took a few steps back towards the door as he continued to rage.

She listened to him as he told her about the coven's plan to sever the sire links of Klaus and Elijah - Rebekah too, but she'd been lost to them - and then kill them. How while he hadn't said anything, Davina could tell that he was lying when he didn't know the key ingredient to the spell that she was after. She was under stress by Aya, Queen Bitch of the Strix and she was so desperate to bring Kol back that she was going to go ahead with the plan.

A dangerous scheme. Davina could die, and one mispronounced word would be catastrophic. Bella had to laugh at that. Kol was a drama queen. He'd always been one. But he was usually right too, so Bella was even more convinced that she had to find a way back too, somehow. She wasn't going to tell him that. She didn't want to worry him and in all honesty, she didn't want to return. But Bella had a feeling that Kol was going to need her.

Once he had quieted down, she sat down on the couch with him and told him not to worry. She was sure that everything was going to be alright. She hoped, though, that her newly found clarity would return with her. She didn't want to return the way that she was when she died, almost unable to walk the streets of New Orleans due to all the stimuli. In the modern days as they were now, it was probably going to be worse and, despite having a goal in mind, she didn't want her head to explode. Maybe there was a spell that could save her, dull everything so that she could help her friend. She wasn't going to tell Kol that he needed saving, mostly because Bella wasn't entirely sure about it, yet, and because it'd only make him feel worse.

Why did she want to save him, though? Because friends did that to each other. For each other. Just as this Claire witch wanted to resurrect Kol. She made a promise, and she was keeping it, no matter the costs because that's what friends did for each other. There was no doubt in Kol's mind about Davina succeeding with the spell, and to see that Kol had absolute faith in someone… If Bella had to be honest, Kol had been the only friend she'd ever had. So she was going to do this. She was going to save him.

Kol's head was on her lap now, and she had her hand on his arm, feeling his breathing steady again, his anger and anxiety dissolving slowly and her determination growing.

She was going to hope and pray that the Ancestors wouldn't know she was missing until she had undone at least some of the damage they were thinking about inflicting. Bella would seek out the Regent to help her - if he was willing. Perhaps he needed a good dose of reality, and she was going to give it to him.

Until it was time, she was going to think of a fool proof plan and hope that she'd be able to succeed. Because if not, New Orleans was going to be in great danger.

Something was brewing, she could feel it. She could hear it. The Ancestors were restless and chanting; electricity was tugging on their reality, heading straight for Kol, who was still with his head in Bella's lap. Was she going to be able to do this? She'd never been a strong witch, but surely lifting along on someone else's spell was going to be easy right? Especially with the Nexus Vorti in play.

She could hear Davina's voice in the distance. Chanting. The blood of two brothers, the ash of their dead. "The bones of a friend," Bella muttered as she held on to Kol while she reached out for the same Nexus Vorti Davina was using to cast the spell to raise Kol.

The next thing she knew, it was dark and cold. Smelly. The smell of decay was invading her nostrils and her throat as she gasped for breath. It took her a moment to realize that she'd returned to her old bones, and she was interred at the cemetery. There were noises outside, right against her resting place, it seemed, but she needed to get out. The smell was just too bad. Too intrusive.

Using her magic, she blasted the cover stone off the grave that had protected her bones for a hundred years. It felt good; she felt energized and yet, she was scared shitless. The world had changed, she already knew that, but she could feel it. The air felt different on her naked skin, somehow.

Shimmying out of her hole, she landed on her feet, and it was only then that she noticed two half naked people standing in front of her with a shocked expression on their faces. That's right; it wasn't every day that someone returned from the dead, was it? "Hello," she replied with a soft voice. Oh, she felt woozy. "Please take me with you," Bella managed to say before she passed out.

Who knew that coming back from the dead was that draining on a person? When Bella came to, she was in bed, comfortably warm with the blankets all over her. Part of her didn't want to wake up and just enjoy the comfort of a real bed, the relative silence, and the light. But she couldn't, she had a mission to fulfill.

When Bella sat up, she once again met the faces of the people who she had scared shitless at the cemetery when she had risen from the dead. "Hello," she said again. Bella felt glad that she wasn't scared of people anymore. Or perhaps it was because she needed to find Kol and save him from whatever the Ancestors had done to him. "My name is Bella. I am terribly sorry for have given you such a fright. It's not every day someone returns from the dead, isn't it?"

"It's that we're both former drug addicts and now sober otherwise we'd have believed we were tripping," the man replied dryly. "They say New Orleans is a magical place."

"It is," Bella smiled at him.

"We're sorry for uh-"

"We didn't mean to defile your cemetery, please don't hurt us," the woman begged her, causing Bella to let out a snort. "The mood struck, and we have zero to none impulse control."

"What were you doing?" Bella cocked her head as she pushed the blankets aside and noticed that she was wearing a man's shirt to cover her modesty. She was going to need clothes if she was going to venture outside. And she required food. Likely a bath, too. "Do you live here?"

"Uh, no. Liam and I live in New York. We're on our honeymoon," the woman smiled at her, letting out a sigh of relief. "So what kind of magic trick was that then?"

"No trick," she replied as she got out of bed and walked around the room. There were a lot of things that she didn't recognize. Perhaps she shouldn't have done this. No, focus, Bella, she told herself as she found the bathroom. "I died in 1913. I believe it is now 2013, yes?"

"Are you sure you didn't order wonky mushrooms, Tempy?" Liam hissed at his wife.

"Very. We need to take her to a hospital or something."

"Do we have to? Maybe she's in for a threesome."

"Liam! She's obviously in a fragile state, maybe now is not the time to rope someone into having a threesome and she looks barely legal anyway!"

"I was eighteen when I died," Bella replied with an amused smile on her lips as she used her magic to get the water running into the bath and pulled the shirt off her body. She felt fortunate with these two people; she could have been all by herself, and she could have collapsed and then picked up by the police. Only for them to stuff her into an asylum again for public indecency or whatever. "I'll need to borrow some clothes when I'm clean." She said as she stepped underneath the water and reached for the soap.

She wanted to go to the Regent, but chances were that he wouldn't believe her, and the Ancestors would get really mad. Her best bet would be to go to the witch who brought back Kol and tell her what was going on - hopefully; Kol would still be out for the count so that she could fix things before he'd know that he'd come back wrong. Or something like that. Or maybe it was better to monitor things for now. Stay out of sight, out of trouble.

The water was warm, and the soap smelled delicious, what other wonders would this new version of New Orleans bring to her? She hadn't planned on lingering, though. She was going to fix Kol to the best of her ability and then leave New Orleans to disappear forever. Dead was dead. She wasn't supposed to be here. She wasn't going to allow herself to enjoy her new life. Then why was she washing herself to look more presentable?

She thought it was nice of the couple, Liam and Temperance Tucker, for allowing her to stay in the room for as long as she needed, on their costs. Bella wasn't sure why they were so kind to her or how they were able to pay for the luxury, but it was nice. She blessed them with virility and fertility in return, although she got a kick out of realizing that both hadn't been much of a problem for them; the woman was already expecting.

It wasn't that hard to fit in with modern day New Orleans. Or modern day life, for that matter. When she lived with Edward, she had a bath, so that wasn't different. From what she had gathered, everyone had a portable telephone right now and instead of writing letters, it was either sending each other a short message on the telephone. How impersonal. Cars were everywhere. Even big ones who drove people through the city. There weren't many cars in the Quarter, but she had seen a lot of them.

Not a lot had changed, either. She did feel slightly different. More at ease, or perhaps that was because she'd been dead for so long and learned to deal with it properly. She wasn't quite sure about that just yet. It was hard for her not to walk to the Mikaelson home and tell them that something was wrong with Kol. Or to the Regent. Or even that little witch Davina. No, for now, everything was going the way it was supposed to, but it became harder by the day.

It was nice to know that the tea shop near the Norwegian Sea men's church was still there, albeit now owned by granddaughter Ann. It was a tea shop, but she made them from freshly dried or plucked herbs, and everything was organic. Magical, you could say. While her grandparents had definitely been some sort of practical witches, Ann seemed to be convinced that she was running a tea shop. Harmless, but she did sell all the herbs that Bella needed for her plan to help Kol.

Things were getting out of hand. One of the Originals had died - she was glad to see it wasn't Kol, Klaus' sireling was now this beast who could kill everyone even the Mikaelsons and Kol… she could feel him slipping. He'd already killed a handful of people and nearly his little witch.

She found it curious that Davina looked like her. Not just in the face, but also stature. In fact, if Bella hadn't known any better she'd say that Davina was a better version of herself; saner. Power hungry, yes, but balanced. There was no doubt that Davina had any trouble with satisfying her man. Kol. And there was no doubt that Davina actually enjoyed the act.

Bella was the complete opposite of that. Even when Kol found Edward for her to be her husband, she couldn't turn the switch in her head that she was supposed to enjoy being touched, being impaled on Edward's manhood. When Bella learned that she had fallen pregnant, she lived in a constant state of anxiety and Kol was nowhere to be found to tell her that everything was going to be alright. No, he had dumped her with Edward to find a stronger witch to help him with his plight, one that wouldn't stand up to him as she had done.

At the time, Bella understood Kol's rage against his family, against his brother, but who would want to hurt their family? She couldn't imagine hurting her family, despite the fact that she had none left by the time Kol shoved her at Edward.

But perhaps Kol had a type. Maybe he had felt something for Bella, and she had merely been unable to see that, to return the feeling. Perhaps his feelings had been the reason for him to want her back in the land of the living as well. She didn't want to be here, but she was here out of friendship, loyalty, towards her friend. And to prevent him from slaughtering everyone he held near and dear.

Love was a beautiful thing, people always told her that, but she couldn't see it. All she could see was a burden, an obligation to spend time with someone and she never liked that. She'd rather spend her days alone, doing what she liked to do without having to have to take another person into account. She'd been fortunate that Edward had a huge mansion, she only saw him at night in the bed she was forced to share with him, but during the day she'd been left on her own and she had loved that.

She could understand that people had this basic need, this desire, to reproduce. Or at least enjoy the fruits of trying to replicate, but it wasn't for Bella. Too much fuss, too much worrying about if she was doing things right, too much effort in creating conversation. Had she been different - normal - then maybe she would have seen the appeal, but no. Not for her.

Bella followed Davina and a hesitant and nearly anxious Kol to St. James Infirmary. She knew about the neutral zone. She'd given some of her magic for the spell the then-regent had cast to ban harmful magic from the place. It had been a great idea, really, to bring Kol there. The Ancestors wouldn't be able to control him inside.

It appeared that they had found out that the Ancestors were messing with him, which was good, that meant that Davina would at least try to cure him, but Bella knew that there was more to it. It wasn't just the increased blood lust, the fact that Kol was about to lose control. There was more, and she needed to make sure at least that was gone because she knew that he didn't want to die. Again.

This was actually the closest she'd been to Kol since the Ancestral Plane. She didn't want him to know that she was there, and fortunately, he was too busy with Davina and too busy freaking out about his current state, although she loved to see the physical relief on him the moment he stepped into the bar.

He was too preoccupied to notice her, and it was beautiful. He was truly happy with Davina, something she'd never really believed or seen with him. If he liked a person it was usually only until they proved not to be useful anymore. He only liked himself. He only cared for himself and, when necessary; he cared for his family, but he'd rather see them dead. Bella knew better, though; he loved his family despite what they'd put him through. They'd been the constant in his 1000-year-old life and without them, he'd be lonely and alone.

But, for the time being, he and Davina were beautiful together, and he deserved that.

She didn't like the band that was playing very much, it was an assault on her senses, but she needed to ignore it. She needed to keep an eye on Kol to make sure he was alright. To find the right time to offer him the cure for everything that ailed him - or at least that's what she had hoped. She had put a lot of time in this. A lot of effort and calculating. A lot of gathering the things she needed. And now she was done. Complete.

And she was going to save him.

Bella saw the panic in his eyes when the spell was taking hold. The Ancestors were meddling again, the safety of St. James Infirmary was at stake. She was about to move in to cast a spell to soothe him when Marcel Gerard snapped his neck. That was going to complicate things. Now she had to find a knife to cut herself and feed herself to Kol as he was recuperating from a snapped neck. Ugh. She hated to get messy.

She made herself scarce as Marcel cleared out the bar, hiding in the kitchen for the sharp knife before returning once it was just Marcel and Kol in the area. "I told everyone to clear out," Marcel remarked as he looked at her, sharply. "I somehow missed you. Uh, he's drunk."

"No, he's not," Bella replied as she used her magic to launch Marcel across the space. "I know you're a vampire, and I know he's an Original. I'm also glad you don't remember me, Marcel Gerard."

"You're a witch!"

"Yes, and I'm going to save our friend here, so stay back or I'll give you a headache you won't believe," she said as she turned to Kol and gingerly ran her hand through his hair as she looked at him. He wasn't going to like the solution to all his problems, but he was just going to have to man up.

"He's not my friend," Marcel used his speed to come back towards Bella, and she stuck true to her word and gave him the world's worst headache. "Ah!" He cried out as he stumbled back, causing Bella to smile. "Look, lady," he groaned from where he had stumbled back to. "I don't know you, I don't particularly like him, but my friend does, you're not going to do anything that could harm him."

"Relax," Bella huffed as she took a deep breath and sliced open her hand, wincing because of the pain that it caused. She let out a breath and sucked one back in as quickly. She had not expected it to hurt that much. "Fiddlesticks," she muttered as she watched the blood accumulate in her hand. Fascinated for a moment, she shook her head to shake herself out of her head and brought her hand to Kol. "Wake up."

"Are you insane? He'll kill you!"

"Yeah," Bella replied absentmindedly as she used her other hand to open Kol's mouth to pour in the blood. "Kinda counting on it seeing as my blood is his cure, I've been working on it for quite some time now. Ever since we came back, really."

"Wait, what?"

"Shh, vampire. If you're lucky, you'll hear the entire story," she said as she poured the blood into Kol's mouth and raised a barrier around them so that he didn't have anywhere to go. His face changed, his neck snapped back, and his eyes shot wide open. "Morning."

"Bella, what- No, you need to go away!" Kol said as he looked at her. She was back! She had no idea how happy that made him, but right now all he wanted to do was to kill her. Drain her of all her blood and kill her. Oh, he wanted to kill her so badly, it was hurting him. And she was so close. So. Close. He moved to get away from her, getting up from the chair and using his speed to get away from her but got knocked flat on his ass when he collided with a barrier of some sort. No, this wasn't good. "Bella, let me go. I can't control myself."

"The Ancestors are assholes," she said calmly as she watched him. "They cursed and hexed you when Davina pulled you out. I heard them, and I followed you out. To save you. My blood will be your salvation, Kol. I hope it will cure everything they've done to you so that you can live a normal life. Help your family. Be with your witch."

"But I'd have to kill you."

Bella pulled out the spell from her back pocket and handed it to him. "I've picked up a thing or two from my time with the Ancestors."

He snarled as he looked at the spell. It was genius. It was intricate and very, very clever. And it broke his heart. Was she really willing to give up a new life for him? "Why?"

"As I said before, dead is dead."

"No, no, I don't believe that. You can't do this. We'll find another way," he said, almost pleadingly. He couldn't take her life again. The first time was because she was suffering so much, but now that she voluntarily offered herself to him… no.

She walked towards him, knowing that he couldn't move away from her, holding her bleeding hand up to his face. "The first time I died because I couldn't handle the world. I asked you to kill me because I lost the stupid baby, and then I killed Edward and I had an overload," she smiled at him. "And you killed me. I'm forever grateful for that. Now I can do something for you. My death can truly mean something."

"But you deserve to live!" Was she stupid? There was so much to live for, didn't she know the opportunities that lay ahead? "Bella, don't do this."

"It's too late," she sighed as he averted his face from her. "I turned myself into your cure, if you don't kill me, it will kill me in a couple of days."

He looked at the spell again and frustratingly bunched the paper into a ball and pinched the bridge of his nose. She was right. "Why, darling? Why?"

"We've been over this. I'm not going to repeat myself. However, I do have a favor to ask of you."

If he was able to do something for her - again - then yes. He'd do anything. Nodding he calmed down again. He wasn't used to people doing things for him, to show kindness. He had seen it in Davina, and of course, Bella before she died, but to have her repeat that kindness? Kol felt the luckiest man in the world, even if it meant losing a friend.

"I want you to burn my body and take it as far away from New Orleans as possible. I do not want to be consecrated again; you hear me? The Ancestors are assholes, and they need to be taken care of. Promise me. Promise you'll do both."

"I promise."

"And be good to Davina and your siblings."

"Are you sure?" She was going to die anyway, according to all the herbs she'd used but he wanted to be sure. It was him about to kill his friend. The most loyal friend he'd ever had, apart from Davina.

"I'm sure."

He sighed deeply before putting his arms around her and kissed the top of her head. "Thank you, Bella," he really was grateful. She was giving her life for him. "I hope you'll be oblivious for the rest of your afterlife."

"Me too, so stick to what I told you. Burn me," she smiled at him. She wasn't scared. She was welcoming the abyss. Again. "Don't feel bad about this, okay?"

"Don't tell me what to do," Kol muttered before he sank his teeth into her neck and held her tightly as he drank from her. Right at that moment, Davina rushed back in. Of course she did. She had the worst timing, but he had already felt that the magical barrier had gone up again and Bella's barrier down. Kol would have preferred to have some more privacy with his old friend, but now it was up to Marcel to explain what his girlfriend was seeing.

"D, it's not what you think," Marcel said as he stopped her from casting a spell.

"The Ancestors, they-"

"Were controlling him," Marcel nodded. "But thanks to his friend Bella, they won't be able to much longer. All he needs to do is drain her completely."

Kol winced as he drank, greedily. Her blood tasted familiar, as he'd done this before, but he could feel the magic take hold in his body. Oh, she'd been so clever in hiding it inside of her and fly underneath the Ancestor's radar since their return, and he regretted that hers was yet another life he'd destroyed. He was not going to waste his in honor of her.

He hadn't done right by her; he knew that. He had brought her to Edward without fully vetting him, without compelling him to speak the truth or reveal hidden skeletons, without compelling him that Bella didn't like to be touched. That she was pure and innocent. Mainly because Kol had grown bored with her, as he tended to do most of the time. She had started out as having so much potential, but when she refused to do his bidding, she became an obstacle.

He had broken her out of the asylum, yes, because she didn't belong in there. Kol then had given her 'a new life' with Edward and thinking that she was comfortable, he had forgotten about her until that fateful night that she appeared in his playhouse, all bloody and pale as a sheet. She had snapped, and it was all his fault. He didn't care, at the time, but now he did. The year that he lived as a human witch had opened his mind to what kind of bastard he'd been and that there was a shot at redemption.

He was going to do right by Bella. He was going to honor her memory and do better. Yes.

Something was wrong. Her heart had slowed, but it hadn't stopped - and he was pretty sure he had drained her, he'd even squeezed the hell out of her body and heard some bones crack, but her heart was still beating. He was feeling fine, but, she should have died. Marcel was already rushing over to offer his blood, but after pulling his teeth out of Bella's neck and shoving the other vampire away, he sank to the floor with Bella in his arms. "No vampire blood. She wanted to die, and I intend to honor that request, as much as it pains me," he said as he tucked a strand of Bella's hair behind her ear as he cradled her.

"Who is she?" Davina asked as she squatted down next to her boyfriend holding this strange girl in his arms. Sure, Marcel had told her what the girl was doing for Kol, but who was she? To him?

"Bella and I knew each other a lifetime ago," Kol said as he pulled her closer to him, he found it odd that she was still warm too. "She was an Ancestor; she had my back when I was on the Ancestral Plane."

"Really? She was around?"

"She told me you were there," he smiled at his girlfriend. "She liked it how your influence has mellowed me out."

Davina turned to Marcel and raised an eyebrow. "Did I really make that much of a difference?"

Marcel snorted and shook his head as he poured himself a bourbon. "I think the fact that he was human again for a while had something to do with it too. But if she's an Ancestor, we should be worried."

"No," Kol countered angrily. "She's the one who alerted me to their behavior when we were there. She's one of the good guys." He let out a frustrated sigh. "Why isn't she dying?"

"Maybe you've lost your touch," Marcel quipped.

"Shut up, Marcel," Davina scolded him as she shifted a little and cast a minor spell to see if she could sense anything. "Uhm," she cocked her head as she redid the spell. "She's not dead. In fact, it seems like she's slowly getting back to normal."

Kol blinked as he looked at the unconscious form of his friend in his arms. "How?"

Davina shrugged. "My best guess is that when she came back with you, she used my spell as a stepping stone. She might be connected to your life force; I'd have to do a stronger spell when she wakes up, which is probably soon."

"We're going to have an immortal witch on our hands?" Marcel said pained. "Seriously?"

"Not to worry, Marcel, she's as cute as a button and won't hurt a fly," Kol smirked. Success. Well, not because she wanted to, but she was going to live again, and she was simply going to have to enjoy it. It made him happy that he was going to be able to see her flourish in a new age where it was alright to be a little peculiar.

She had seemed to be quite together when she told him to kill her for him to be cured, but she could be like that when she was focussed. It was curious to see how she'd live in this new world with her new life.

"Am I dead?" Bella muttered as her eyes fluttered open and looked at Kol. "You need to drink all of me for it to work, Kol."

"I did," Kol smirked at her as he helped her sit up, still holding on to her as her head rolled around. "You just don't want to die."

Her jaw dropped in surprise. "I do!"

"Tough. According to Davina, it's entirely possible that you're linked to me now, and I'm an Original, sorry darling; you're just going to have to keep on living."

Bella scowled. "I want a second opinion."

Kol got to his feet and pulled Bella to hers. She was still a little wobbly, but she seemed to be recovering at a fast rate. This was going to be amazing; he had his best friend back, and she was an everlasting blood bag! "After we save my brother from a lunatic, yeah?"

"Did I save you, though?" she held on to him. "At least tell me that I managed to cure you. Please."

"Let's find out," Kol smirked as he put his other arm around his girlfriend and headed to the exit. It felt good to be between the two girls he liked the most. One was his girlfriend, and the other was his friend who he had a lot to make up to. "Marcel, are you coming?"


	2. Revival part 1

Author's Note: Okay, not a real one shot anymore, is it? Multiple parts to this story to follow, but decided to give you guys a taste! xxx Buggy

* * *

"I stand by my original statement," Davina said as she finished casting her spells on Bella and got to her feet as she looked at Kol. "Her life is linked to yours. It has been since she came back with you. Of course, making herself the vessel to the end of the Ancestors' influence on you didn't work against the flaw in her spell, either." Davina wasn't too happy about this turn of events, not at all. Kol had never spoken of Bella to her, not until he was dead himself, but for a witch to go through all the trouble she had gone to save the Original vampire, made Davina wonder who Bella was.

Was she merely a very good friend, an ex-girlfriend or a crazy stalker from Kol's past? Was she going to be dangerous? Was she going to get between her and Kol?

"Great," Kol grinned as he looked at Bella. "Time for your third chance of life, Bella!" Oh, he knew that she hadn't wanted this at all. But times had changed and people were more open and understanding towards people who were a little bit different. Bella was going to be fine, like she had been in the last few weeks after she came back with him.

She felt tired and unhappy. Unwanted, as Davina kept her eyes firmly trained on Bella. "I can't stay here, I'm intruding on your life."

"I understand, darling," Kol sat down next to her and pushed a strand of her hair back. "Where did you stay for the last few weeks?"

"In a hotel room, courtesy of Mr. and Mrs. Tucker, who were shocked by my resurrection - they were having intercourse near my grave. Since I believed that I wasn't going to survive your bite today, I checked out. But not to worry, I'm sure I can find some place to stay."

"I could ask my brother Elijah to see if there's an old inheritance in your name? Seeing as the Cullens were quite established-"

"I don't want their money," Bella growled as she wrapped her oversized jumper around her and got off the bed. "I believe that there are still shelters around."

"You're not going to stay in a shelter. Then at least allow me to pay for a hotel room, or an apartment even! Bella, that's the least I could do for you since you've saved me from doing some major damage today."

Bella saw the determination on his face, and despite not wanting to have anything to do with him at the moment, she sighed and nodded. "Very well."

"Great! Now, I'm sure Davina won't mind if you'd take a nap on her bed while we go and find you somewhere safe to live," he said as he kissed the top of her head. "Maybe find you some clean clothes, too?" He gently pushed her down to the bed and tucked her in. "And I won't tolerate 'no', Bella. Go take a nap, we'll be back shortly. You're safe in this room."

Kol waited until Bella was indeed asleep before leaving Davina's cozy home quietly with his girlfriend in tow. "What do you think?" He asked as he took Davina's hand and softly kissing it as they left the church.

"I think that she's going to have a really hard time adjusting and finding something she's passionate about. She may have been a witch and she's capable of _some_ magic, I didn't quite feel that she was too powerful."

"It was enough back in the day," Kol shrugged. "She didn't even want it, at first."

"She has a big heart, maybe she can go work at an animal shelter or something. I doubt anyone has the patience to deal with her when it comes to her magic. She's great with herbs, I have to give her that. It was brilliant to turn herself into a potion to save you. Maybe she can work at Ann's?"

"Ann is crazy," Kol huffed. "Besides, the Ancestors are probably going to be pissed at her for many reasons, including escaping them and curing me, she needs some place safe. I made a mess of her life a century ago, now I'm going to make sure she's safe."

Davina shrugged. "She's likely more than capable of taking care of herself."

"Likely, but she needs someone to help her with it at first. Aren't there organisations in New Orleans who help people like her?"

"What, the homeless?" Davina huffed. "Salvation Army, shelters."

"She's special. No doubt that this new world is still making her head spin and she needs guidance. I'm not the right person to help her with that, neither are you, and I'm not going to burden Niklaus with her. He's got enough on his mind already."

Davina thought for a moment as she looked at him. It appeared that while he was glad that his friend was back and had saved him, he didn't want to particularly stick around and make sure she was going to be fine. "What's wrong with her, anyway?"

"There's nothing wrong with her, she's simply different than you and I. She doesn't like to be touched, her social skills are… questionable around strangers, she easily gets tired and overwhelmed," Kol started to explain. "Back on the Ancestral plane she told me that she'd gotten a lot better with her issues, that she had somewhat healed or at least understood where her being different originated. She's gone through a lot today, no doubt she has to recharge for days."

"It's a shame that Cami's interests currently don't lie with psychology otherwise maybe she could help out… but I know this healer near the Bayou who is known to take care of the unwanted."

"Bella's not unwanted," Kol spat, letting go of Davina's hand. "She needs some time and a little help, that's all."

"And Myriam is the right person to help her with that. Trust me. She's a 300 year old vampire, well versed in her herbs and used to work in a mental health institution. She had endless patience. She'll be safe from the Ancestors there."

"Are you sure?"

Davina smiled at him. "Of course I'm sure. We can go visit her now if you want."

" _Cochon!"_ Myriam advanced at Kol and slapped him, hard. "You Mikaelsons are supposed to leave me alone!"

He had been surprised by her attack, but not really seeing as his brothers liked to make a mess out of things, and was more prepared when she advanced again, grabbing her by her wrists before she could strike. "Now, now, darling," he purred as he pulled the vampire against him. "That's no way to treat a visitor." Kol was already entertained by this Myriam. It was always _fun_ to find a discarded toy.

"Kol," Davina warned him. "Don't hurt her, we came here for help."

"Oh, I'm not hurting her, darling," Kol smirked as he let the vampire go, keeping an eye on her. "I'm merely protecting myself, for I have no idea what my brothers have done to her to give me this treatment."

Myriam growled lowly as she rubbed her wrists and looked at Davina. "Davina, so nice to see you again. Will you come in? He can wait outside."

Davina hugged her friend and sighed. "Unfortunately, we're here because of him, so whatever it is between you and the Mikaelsons, you have to let it go. Kol has changed, he's a good person."

The vampire barked out a laugh. "You're naive to think that vampires can change, especially him," Myriam shook her head before shrugging. "Fine, come on in so we can talk."

Kol followed the two women inside the wooden structure, and inside Myriam had a cozy yet organised home, with seemingly enough space for more people. "You live here alone?"

Myriam pursed her lips as she pointed at the chairs at the dining table for them to sit. "That's none of your concern, Kol Mikaelson. I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." She sat down and crossed her arms as she looked at Davina. "What can I do for you? You need herbs?"

"No, thank you," Davina smiled at her. "Between you and Ann I'm well stocked."

"Even after your adventure with the Strix coven?" Myriam raised an eyebrow, curious. "Is that how you brought the idiot brother back?"

"He's not an idiot," she laughed, shaking her head. "I've heard the horror stories, even Kol himself admitted he hasn't been always on his best behaviour, but I trust him. And yes, they gave me the power to resurrect him."

"You mean Klaus Mikaelson's sacrifice gave you the power to resurrect his brother," Myriam pointed out. "A sacrifice you're responsible for, too."

"I had to save my friends, surely you can understand. Had he died, you would have died with everyone else."

Myriam slammed her hand on the table. "Yes, thanks for that warning, you little rat," she spat as she slammed her hand on the table again. "I kinda liked being linked to Klaus Mikaelson, it allowed me to keep tabs on him!"

"But you're free of him now," Davina said confused. "Marcel and Josh were happy-"

"Well I am not! And if you think I'm willing to help you out, you're mistaken!"

"Hey now," Kol warned the vampire. "That is no way to treat a friend."

"Some friend she is," Myriam muttered, crossing her arms over her chest again. "You have any idea how much it hurt? I felt as if I was on fire!"

"You're fine," Davina shrugged. "And now, if Klaus ever gets killed, you won't die along in the process."

"Davina told me you like to help lost causes, from time to time," Kol tried to sound diplomatic, but he couldn't hide his disgust for this woman who was unhappy by Davina's actions. "Davina doesn't need any help, neither do I, but we do know someone who could do with your guidance and expertise."

Myriam glared at the Original. "I've heard whispers about someone tagging along with Davina's spell to bring you back. An Ancestor?"

"Her name is Bella and she's having a hard time adjusting to this time period. Ah, she came back to save me from the Ancestor's influence on me and by accident linked her life to mine. I won't even be able to turn her into a vampire. She doesn't want to be back, she doesn't want another chance at living because her first life had been less than ideal. Bella's … different from other people and if you're really as good as Davina told me you are, you are the best person to teach her new things."

Myriam was quiet for a moment, contemplating her options. "An immortal witch, an Ancestral Plane escapee… did she retain all of her knowledge?"

"Yes."

"Then she's dangerous to the Ancestors. She'll be safe here. If I can help her, I'd need to assess her myself so you'll have to bring her here. Your brother condemned me to live in the Bayou for the rest of my life and I cannot enter my beloved New Orleans."

Kol groaned as he rubbed his eyes. "Which one and what did you do to earn this kind of punishment?"

"I didn't do anything! It's because of _your_ actions that your brother Elijah had to clean up the mess you've made and he was surprised that I was a vampire and hadn't fled at the sight of you! But I was taking care of my patients. Even managed to hide a few from you as you came to collect one of the-" she stopped herself then, before realizing something. "It's her, isn't it? The girl you liberated from the sanatorium came back with you to help you."

"Kol!" Davina scolded him.

"What?" Kol said defensively. "Easy pickings, darling, I remember most of them being very tasty and very drugged up, it was such a rush! I nearly forgot why I came there in the first place!" The grin on his face grew wider and wider. "Small world, Myriam, small world."

"Didn't she get the chance to heal over there?"

"A little, and she's fine on that front, I believe but I am no expert. She simply needs some encouragement and life lessons that I cannot provide her."

Myriam huffed as she uncrossed her arms. "You're no good for anything. Bring her over, I'll see if I can work with her. However, as my payment, I want your brother to undo his compulsion over me so I can return to the city. A century long banishment is long enough for something you did."

"And if I can't get him to do that?"

"Then I'm not going to help your friend."

Davina looked between the two vampires and felt the tension between them. "I've broken compulsions before, on a human," she said carefully. "I can try it on you, Myriam, but who knows how many times you've been compelled? And it's going to hurt immensely."

"Elijah or no go," Myriam said as she got to her feet and pointed towards the door. "See yourselves out please."

Kol sighed as he and Davina drove back to the city. "This was not a good idea."

"You should have thought about that before, wasn't it you who wanted Bella to return with you? Now that she's here, you don't even want her around. Great friend you are."

"She doesn't deserve me, Davina, because I'm incapable of caring about someone else other than myself."

"You care about me, right?" she asked carefully. He must care about her, why else would he have done the things he'd done with her back when he was still a witch and then more recently as a vampire?

"Of course, darling," he smiled sweetly. Maybe when he was still a human, or a ghost, but ever since she brought him back, all he felt was lust and glad that he had his own powerful little witch by his side. Davina was a means to an end, just like any other witch he'd encountered or dated. Bella had already experienced that and she deserved better than him. She wasn't as tainted or powerful as Davina. She needed things he couldn't provide.

"Good, because I was just about to dump your ass," she countered angrily. "And then I'd have gone to Marcel, informed him about you breaking my heart and then you'd be in trouble."

"Ah, Marcellus," Kol grinned as he relaxed in his seat as he continued to drive. "Such a fun little toy he is. I suppose I'll have to do with teasing Elijah with one of his clean up failures then for now. The prophecy can wait for a bit."

Davina was quiet for a moment, looking out of the window as she decided whether or not to broach the subject that was on her mind. Deciding to take her chances, she looked at him. "I can't help but be slightly put off by the fact that your friend, your old friend - Bella the Ancestor, and I look a lot alike. Is she a relative of mine?"

"No, Bella came from California. I'm fairly certain that you and her aren't related. You come from a long line of established Claire witches and as far as I know there hasn't been any meddling from outsiders."

"Are you sure?"

"Quite."

"Why?"

"Because the family was a Garden District coven and they put her in a mental institution because she wasn't good enough to attend balls and be introduced to the young men of New Orleans at the time. Me, thinking it was a bad idea to lock her away, broke her out and ate my way through the asylum before finding a widower who I believed was alright and left her with him," he said as he gripped the steering wheel tightly. "Of course, he wasn't the right person for her and I should have taken more time with him, to compel him to be everything Bella needed and to stay away from her, but that was then. She was out of the Asylum and I had found her a husband and I could find another witch to help me out. She lost her mind after her husband repeatedly touched her, had sex with her and fell pregnant. Then lost her child and it got all too much for her, she went into full rage and meltdown mode and killed her husband before arriving at my doorstep, all bloody. I could smell her fear, her anxiety and her sadness. Her anger. She begged me to kill her, so I did. It was the least I could do and she was quite tasty. Fear, anxiety and anger taste so good."

"That's horrible," Davina replied. "Who did you put her with?"

"You wouldn't know his family. They were from up north."

"Try me," Davina grinned as she playfully elbowed him in the side.

"His name was Edward Cullen."

"Ah," Davina said knowingly. "The scourge of the Garden District. Not a witch, but we all know the stories about him as a warning to give anyone with that name a wide berth. Good to know that the story that his crazy wife killed him is true."

"As I said, I would not make that mistake again and don't think I won't compel Myriam to treat Bella right. If she's on vervain, which is likely the case as she's encountered my brothers, I'll bleed her out and then I'll compel her."

"Yeah, I get it. Myriam will have your balls for it, but as you said, you're not good for Bella and she deserves better," Davina agreed as Kol parked the car at St. Anne's, likely to check up on Bella before going to his brothers. "So the fact that she's a tiny brunette like me is purely coincidence?"

"Of course, darling."

"So you don't have any feelings for her other than the fact that you like her for her giving you the attention you craved?"

He slowly nodded, unsure of himself now. Granted, Davina was at this point also merely a means to an end, or that's what he liked to tell himself, but deep down, he knew he genuinely cared for Bella, why else would he tell her to come back with him, to live the well deserved second life? What he felt for Bella was completely different from how he felt for Davina. Perhaps as a human he had liked Davina for who she was, but now that he was a vampire he could tell that she was just as rotten as he was. He deserved Davina, and not someone as pure as Bella.

There was simply no room for Bella in his life right now, too many things were happening and Davina didn't like her much, from what he could tell. But if it hadn't been for Bella, Davina would have been dead. Bella saved him so she could save Davina. For him. Pure. No ulterior motives. Passing her on to Myriam was the best thing he could do for her; he didn't want his brothers to be of an influence to Bella and Marcel was never going to lay his hands on her. No.

"Okay, so you'll go to your brothers now and convince Elijah to come with to the Bayou to remove a compulsion. I'll go upstairs and give Bella some of my old clothes to wear after waking her up. The sooner she's with Myriam, the better, right?"

"Yeah," he breathed out and softly kissed Davina. "You're a great asskicker."

"Of course," Davina smiled at him, her hand running through his hair. "And once she's gone, we're going to get some rest ourselves, in my bed. The day has been hard on all of us."

He kissed her again before speeding off with a big grin on his face. He was going to have so much fun with his brothers! Especially with Elijah. Oh, Elijah was going to regret ever simply compelling Myriam and not kill her on the spot. Why did he save her, anyway?

When he arrived at the compound, his brothers were in deep discussion with Marcel. Of course. Marcel had to be around. Discussing Lucien and his transformation yet again, and Kol didn't want to hear anything of it. He needed more time with Davina and _then_ he'd help out his family if they still needed it. "I've had quite the interesting day, surely Nik and Marcel have compared notes by now?"

"You are in no position to take care of a girl like that, brother," Elijah spoke, eyeing his brother. "What were you thinking?"

Kol held up his hands in defense. "Wasn't me. It was all her, to make sure that the Ancestor's meddling wouldn't turn lethal. How was I to know she was back and what she had planned?"

"And the poor girl's life is now tethered to yours for eternity. Honestly!"

"Don't worry, 'Lijah," Kol smirked as he poured himself a bourbon and downed it in one go. "Davina came up with a solution for the girl, because you're right, I can't take care of her. Not that she'd need a lot of caring for, but I can't reintroduce her to the world. I'm a menace and irresponsible."

"Marcel has offered to-"

"Oh, no," Kol quickly said. "Marcel isn't going anywhere near Bella, because like you lot, he'll fill her head with crazy ideas about me and teach her all the wrong things. She could even turn out to become a whore under his influence and nobody would stop him because she's quite appetizing underneath all those clothes!"

"Kol, behave," Elijah warned him.

"Davina's solution was quite simple," Kol ignored his brother as he poured himself another glass. "Since Cami has turned to the bad side, she took me to a friend of hers, a 300 year old vampire, a healer and someone with a background in mental illness."

"D took you to that nut who lives in the Bayou?" Marcel asked curiously. "She's even less capable of taking care of a young girl like Bella."

"Who?" Klaus wondered as he looked at Kol's knowing smirk, Marcel's confusion and Elijah's… constipation. He looked uncomfortable.

"What surprised me the most was the fact that she was working at the sanatorium around the same time Bella was there… say… a hundred years ago? Give or take a few years. Imagine my surprise that she was able to tell me about Elijah's cleaning efforts after I ate my way through the sanatorium to get Bella out of there."

"Who?" Klaus demanded, nervous now, knowing that his former lover worked there before she disappeared on him again. He hadn't been too worried, Myriam liked to leave for a few years from time to time, but a whole century of not even a postcard had him think that she was dead.

"Her name is Myriam Jenkins," Marcel explained with a sigh. "From what she told me was that Elijah compelled her to leave New Orleans or to stay in the Bayou and not to contact Klaus in any way. Myriam believed that Elijah was jealous because she was such a great influence on Klaus."

"Oh, I didn't know that!" Kol sat down on one of the sofa's and watched as Nik flew into a rage, beating Elijah savagely. "Careful, brother, we need him conscious to undo that compulsion of his," Kol said in a sing-song voice.

"When will your constant manipulation of my life stop?" Klaus yelled at his brother as his fist connected with Elijah's face. "Are you going after the mother of my child next? I've seen the two of you, cozying up, conspiring against me!"

"Niklaus, freeing you from Myriam was the best thing I could do at the time for you," Elijah didn't lose his calm, but he did start to deflect his brother's assault. "And I will not remove her compulsion, that woman was a blight on the Quarter."

"Oh, you're wrong, 'Lijah," Kol said as he downed another glass. "You are going to remove that compulsion because it will help me. Or, I could of course let Bella run loose in New Orleans and have her create chaos and mayhem. Who knows? Lucien might even pick her up and make her do his bidding even though she's not powerful enough. But surely he'd have a serum for that, too, right? To boost someone's magic? I mean, he already had the cure to Nik's nasty bite, he now has a magical serum courtesy of our beloved witchy sister that turned him into our nightmare… why not give him something pure to fuck up?"

"You wouldn't!"

"It'd still be better than turning her over to you or Marcel!"

Ignoring the fighting brothers, Marcel sat down next to Kol. "Look, you and I may not particularly like each other, but have you considered taking care of Bella yourself? At least until she's back on her feet?"

"You know as well as my brothers do that I am not the right person for the job. Short temper and all that. Myriam is the best choice. Impartial. Granted, I could seek help elsewhere, out of town, but I'm lazy."

"You suck without humanity."

"Oh, I know, Marcel, why are you so shocked?" Kol smirked as he looked at his fighting brothers. "But at least I know my shortcomings, it's been told many times and even Davina was afraid of me being a vampire at first, perhaps she still is, who knows?"

"So you think that Bella, the Ancestor coming back to life, is safer with a 300 year old vampire than an Original vampire with issues? The girl can't die, Kol. So what if you end up killing her? She'd just come back to life!"

"I don't take care of people. You lot have the bleeding hearts, not me. I've made up my mind and I need Elijah to break the compulsion otherwise the damn woman won't help Bella."

"Surely you've learned things when you were a witch?" Marcel let out a snort. "Kol, I had started to like you, seriously. You can do this, you've done it before. She's your friend, why hand her off to some stranger?"

 _Because she's safer without me. Because she deserves better than me. Because she's a buzzkill with her observational skills. Because I feel guilty of what I did to her in the past. Because I'll fuck up. Because Davina doesn't like her._ "I'm sick of defending my decisions," he said as he got to his feet and pried his brothers apart. "Are you two done? Can we go and pick up Bella now and then go to the Bayou so that Elijah can remove the compulsion and Myriam can take care of Bella?"

Bella quietly watched as Davina dug deep into her closet for old clothes that Bella could have. Davina had been talking, but Bella wasn't sure if she'd been listening. She held in a breath for a few seconds and then breathed out slowly, her hearing slowly returning. "... so we're taking you to a friend of mine, sure you understand?"

"I'm intruding, of course I understand. But you didn't have to go through trouble for me, I can find my own way."

Davina seemed to agree. "Kol wants you to be comfortable, the plan you proposed wasn't much of a plan," she then huffed. "He actually wanted to put you back into an asylum."

Bella didn't seem to mind, but was surprised that Kol thought that way, why go through all the trouble in the past only to put her back in? Convenience. That was all. Bella was in the way. A problem. Just like she knew she was. "And?"

"My friend's place is way cooler. It's in the Bayou, I'm sure you two will hit it off perfectly," Davina smiled as she put some clothes into a bag. "I don't think I've thanked you yet for saving Kol from the Ancestors, have I?"

"That's alright," Bella replied with a shrug. "It's what friends do for each other, they save each other and those around them. He would have killed you if I hadn't saved him."

"Just promise me not to ever perform magic again, okay?" Davina laughed, shaking her head. "You're an intelligent witch, no doubt about it, and using yourself as a vessel for Kol's cure was amazing because the Ancestors wouldn't pick that up, but you're terrible at magic and you used far too many conductive and connecting herbs, which is why you're still alive now and will be forever."

She nodded as an answer. It wasn't as if Bella could rejoin the covens of New Orleans anyway, the Ancestors would not allow it and they'd likely have the Regent try and kill her again and again. "I think I want to be an animal doctor."

Davina playfully ruffled Bella's hair, who immediately smoothed it back out as she recoiled from Davina's touch. "It's sweet of you to think that you're capable of learning, but it'll take you at least 20 years to get to the point where you're up to snuff with what they teach in high school and primary school."

"I'm immortal now," Bella pointed out. "I have all the time I need."

"And who's going to pay for your school? A place to live? Food? Clothes? The basic necessities? Better learn that first, Bella, before you entertain the thought of going to school. You'd make a great maid or house wife, but I think that becoming a vet is a bit too far out of your reach."

"Perhaps you're right," Bella sighed as she bound her hair in hair tie. "Will Myriam be able to help me find a purpose? A new passion?"

"She'll teach you everything you need," Davina echoed as she watched as the door opened. "Had fun?"

"Oh yeah," Kol grinned as he took the bag from Davina. "You need to stay here, the car is a little full with Nik and Elijah in it too, sure you don't mind? I'll be back as soon as I can."

Davina pouted as she pulled him in for a kiss. "Hurry back and make sure Myriam fully agrees to help Bella out, she's a crafty old nut but trustworthy."

"Don't worry, she's likely not on vervain if she wants Elijah to break that compulsion," he smiled at her before turning to Bella. "Are you ready?"

Bella didn't want Kol to drop her off at some stranger's place, but nodded nevertheless, in his eyes this was the best way for her to find her way in this life. Away from him. She had to go. He and Davina were so infatuated with each other that it was painful to watch, Bella had never realized that it was this bad and she didn't quite know how to deal with it. She was intruding, she had to go.

Kol took Bella's hand and gently pulled her off the bed. If this was the right thing, why was he so nervous about it? Why did he feel like he was doing the same as the family she lived with in the 1900s? They put her in the sanatorium because she was tainting their reputation by not being marriage material and a weak witch on top of that. Granted, this Myriam person was a person and not an institution, but wasn't he doing the same now? Was it truly the best thing? "It's going to be alright," he assured her as they walked through the church to get to the car.

"I trust you," she smiled at him. "You know what's best for me and instead of a hotelroom you're making sure someone can help me until I'm good enough," she added reassuringly. "You're far too busy with Davina and the trouble your family is in. Maybe once I'm sure I'm alright and be a productive member of society I'll leave New Orleans.."

"Darling, the world is your oyster. I'll make sure we'll have a bank account in your name once you feel confident enough so you don't have to worry about money."

"Aren't my days of having to rely on men for my survival over? Don't I have the right to find myself a job to sustain myself?"

"You're 118 years old, but look like you're 18. You're a resurrected supernatural being, made more supernatural by linking yourself to me by accident. Forget about living a normal life, Bella, you won't be able to do it," he said as he helped her in the car and got in himself, seeing the looks his brothers gave him. "You've met Niklaus, meet Elijah, he's our older brother."

"I know who he is, I just didn't realize he was your brother," Bella muttered as she hugged Davina's bag for her. "He used to have dealings with Edward, I don't know why and I don't want to know."

"He ran some successful businesses back in the day, a small pillar in making New Orleans a thriving city at the time," Elijah explained. "Very unpleasant that man. I had always felt for his ailing wife, and after her death I had hoped he'd remain alone for the rest of his life. I was surprised he had found himself a new wife. Young. Beautiful. Eccentric."

"And you did nothing?" Kol wondered as he pulled away from the church.

"Of course not, Kol. I only meddle in the personal lives of my family. Besides, the girl didn't look stressed at all," a small smile appeared on his lips. "Of course, had I known that you put her with him, I would have."

"You lot really should let me in on these kind of things more often, you know. I can be responsible and proactive and not just the killer," Kol muttered. "Even now, I'm trying to control my bloodlust now that Bella's cured me of the Ancestor's influence because I don't want to end up killing Davina."

"How honorable," Klaus mused. "But your little friend here is an immortal witch, surely she can be the blood bag that keeps on giving?" He asked playfully but was shocked by Bella's serious response.

"Of course I can," she replied as she looked at Kol. "If you're hungry, you can have my blood."

"That was a joke, little one," Klaus gently squeezed her shoulder. "We generally don't drink from our friends unless it's an emergency and even then we might not."

"But it could be my new purpose in life! To give you my blood to drink!" Bella got all excited then. "I mean, my blood is safe, I can't die, and I'm volunteering."

"Stop that nonsense," Elijah huffed. "I don't know what or who got into your head, but what you're suggesting is barbaric. Perhaps once we have the prophecy taken care of, we should introduce you to our two sisters who can teach you what it's like to be an independent woman."

"What about non of your involvement don't you understand, Elijah?" Kol shot at him. "That includes our darling sister and our witchy sister! Bella will only be ruined by us!"

"Hardly," Klaus huffed. "Marcel turned out alright, didn't he? All Bella needs is some guidance and patience to adjust. Accident or not, you made her your responsibility when she piggybacked on Davina's spell to bring you back to save you. She's your friend."

"It's quite typical behaviour for you, isn't it? Run in the face of responsibility."

"Hey, I'm still here," Bella shot at the vampires. "No need to make Kol feel bad for making the right decision for me in his eyes. I told him he didn't have to do this for me, and he wants to do this. Let him do this."

"You agree with him?"

Bella shrugged. "It doesn't matter if I agree with him or not. I do need help. I need to find a new purpose. I need to learn more about this time. I'm not his responsibility. We are friends, but he doesn't have to be responsible for me, despite the fact that my life depends on his. I never wanted another chance at life."

"You're too young to be all about doom and gloom, love," Klaus said encouragingly. "You can still change your mind about this, you can stay with us. It's likely that once my brother frees Myriam from her restrictions that Myriam will be at the compound with us, anyway."

"If she does that, I'm going to kill her," Kol said angrily. "That was not part of the deal."

"Ah, but you don't know her as well as I do," Klaus teased him.

"As I said, if she comes back on the agreement, I will kill her."

"No killing," Bella said as she gently rubbed Kol's arm. "If she doesn't want to help me, it's fine and I will adjust on my own." Because they were in the car with four people, the different scents and smells were suddenly overwhelming her, looking for a way to open the window she accidentally opened the door. The smell of strong alcohol was making her feel sick.

"Woah," Kol said as he swerved to the side of the road, stopped and reached for the door to pull it shut. "Are you insane?"

"No, I'm getting sick, the window needs to be open," Bella said as she frantically pawed at the door, looking for a lever of some sort. "How does it open?"

"There are buttons on the handle, darling," he said as he pointed at them. "The arrow down makes it go down, and the one that goes up rolls it back up. Don't ever open the door while we're driving, okay? You're not even wearing a seat belt, you could have fallen out!"

She immediately pushed the down button and hung her head out of the car, sniffing in the polluted air of New Orleans. The mixture of fresh air, the water underneath the bridge they were on and exhaust made her want to vomit, so she quickly opened the door anyway, hopped out of the car and threw up at the side of the road.

Elijah was the first one by her side to give her his handkerchief to clean her mouth, but it did more harm than good when she vomited again, missing his shoes by a hair. "Are you alright?"

Bella let out a groan as she sat down on the ground, holding her head between her knees. "Sensory overload, it happens, not your fault, although that cloth smells like blood."

Kol had found a bottle of water in the glove compartment and brought it over. "I should have opened the windows, huh?"

"You couldn't have known," Bella replied as she gratefully took the water and rinsed her mouth. "I mean, I was fine, but it just hit me."

"Are you okay to continue the short drive if we roll all the windows down?"

"Yes," she smiled at him. "I need a few minutes."

He sat down next to her and sighed deeply as Elijah went back to the car. "I have to admit, I'm having a harder time with the fact that I'm taking you somewhere else to heal, but you understand, don't you?"

"You and Davina deserve all the time together as you can possibly have, I'll only be taking away precious time from that. I don't need your help, Kol, I told you this."

"I just want you to be safe and you're not safe around me or my family at this point."

"But I can leave New Orleans, if you'd want me to, I could go back to California," she said as she put her head against his shoulder and sighed deeply, feeling the nausea slowly pass. "Surely I have relatives there?"

"Bella, you have to understand that you can't go back to your life. You've been dead for a century. Now, we can help you with new papers, new ID and even a bank account, but the life you knew is over and you need to start over. From the beginning. Girls your age in this time go out and party, and they study and they don't even think about starting families at this point."

"I wanted to study, but Davina said that it was going to be hard because I'm uneducated. But I'm immortal, can't I simply take my time?"

Kol was surprised to hear that. "Did she really say that?"

"Her exact words were that it's sweet of me to think that I'm capable of learning after I told her I'd like to become an animal doctor and when I said I have all the time I could need she said that I needed a place to live first, money to sustain me with food, clothing, and of course, education. She believed I'd make a great maid or housewife, and that becoming a vet was too far out of my reach," she replied, shrugging slightly. "I suppose she was right."

"Wrong," Kol said angrily. "Darling, I know you want to be independent and you keep saying you don't want my help, but money is not an issue. If Klaus is right and Myriam doesn't work out for you, I will get you an apartment, and enough money to live on. Even go to school with. Private tutors, everything you need. And if you don't want me to give you money, I'll have Elijah dig deep into the court archives and find Cullen's hidden money so you have money to spend that is your right to have."

He was certainly going to give Davina a stern talking to. Bella was capable of so many things. Perhaps not as a witch, but as a caring human being, even though she didn't seem to be caring. But he knew that Bella cared deeply, and she didn't deserve to be put down like that. He wasn't even questioning Bella's sincerity, as she hadn't lied to him before and in his opinion, was incapable of doing so.

"Bella, you're smart. You're strong and you say what you want to say. On top of that, you are determined and you can achieve anything you want. Even becoming a veterinarian to take care of the animals," he continued and then playfully elbowed her in the side. "I'm not saying that it's going to be easy on you, it'll require hard work, but I know you can do it. Don't let someone else dull your interests, you've never allowed it to, so why start now?"

"Because the world is a scary place and I don't know what to do?" She replied in a small voice. "I always had someone with me when I ventured the streets of New Orleans back then, and it wasn't because I was a young woman, but because my mind tends to… wander. I'm scared. I was scared for those weeks where I was making myself your cure, but I had a purpose, I needed to save you and that's what I focused on, and I did well, for the most part. There were days where I simply hid and stayed at the hotel, tired of everything."

"Myriam's home is in the Bayou, it's nice and quiet there."

"But I don't think that's good for me, either," Bella carefully looked at him, hoping he wouldn't get mad. "How can I learn to deal with all the stimuli if I'm away from it all?"

"At least meet her," Kol said encouragingly. "She seemed to be qualified enough, she even worked at the place you were put in. She knows my family, or so it seems, so she can tell you all about our shortcomings," he said with a slight chuckle. "I think she knows her stuff."

"Do you trust her?"

"I'm not sure about that, but once I've compelled her I might."

"And thus you're going to do the same as your brother, make people do things against their will."

"She's a vampire, darling, she's one of us, it's fine."

"Edward wasn't."

"And had I known what kind of a bastard he was, I would have done a proper job on him instead of a half assed attempt," he said quickly. "It's a good thing you've killed him, because otherwise I'd have Davina resurrect him and do it all over, and make it extremely painful."

"No killing," Bella repeated the words she had spoken in the car earlier. Kol was so stuck on the idea of her meeting Myriam and likely being helped by Myriam that she had decided not to resist. Did that make her passive? Not really. She was allowing her friend to help her despite her objections, apparently 'no' was still not in his personal dictionary.

Kol smiled at that as he helped her to her feet. "But what if I need to eat, darling?"

"You can do that without killing."

"That's no fun," he pouted. "Would it make you feel better if I only eat bad people and make New Orleans a little bit safer for those who can't protect themselves?"

Bella thought for a moment as she took a sip of her bottle. "Yes," she eventually replied as she got into the car. "But you don't have to do that. I mean… it's not my place to tell you that. It's your own choice."

"We haven't been killing for sustenance in a long time," Elijah replied. "We still drink from the vein, yes, but those servants have been compelled not to feel anything and we pay them generously."

"But you can do that from me, I can't die anyway," Bella said confused. "And I know, you don't eat friends, but the only thing that I am to you is an inconvenience that has a history with Kol and who is keeping you from more pressing matters." She hugged her back as she looked out of the window. "Who knows? I might even turn out to be the Beast from your prophecy."

"Don't be ridiculous," Kol huffed. "Lucien's the beast and in cohorts with the Ancestors."

"I was an Ancestor, how can you be sure that I'm not merely here because I wanted to save you? Perhaps it was my intention all along to link my life to yours, so it'd be more difficult to kill me after you've mended fences with your family when you were a witch."

Klaus blinked at the girl in the front seat and then looked at his brother next to him, who looked as doubtful as he felt. Granted, the girl made sense, but experience told him that this girl was incapable of deceit. "Are you sure?"

"I don't know," Bella shrugged. "I mean, were you aware of the Ancestor's meddling with Kol after he returned?"

"Not at first…"

"Well then, I could be anything."

"Oh shut up, Bella, this is a ridiculous line of thought," Kol said, but her remarks still in the back of his mind. It wasn't entirely impossible.

"I just want you to be safe, that's all, and that's thinking of many scenarios. I may not have a mind that's focused on warfare, but I have read books, heard things."

"You're absolutely right," Klaus eventually said as they drove passed the first trees into the Bayou. "We shouldn't have assumed your return was a mere accident and focused on saving Kol from himself. How about we will keep our eye on you when you're at Myriam's? Or, if she does what I think she'll be doing, wherever you may end up? Just to be safe? That way, we can put a stop to it before it even begins."

"Nik!"

"Niklaus is correct in this matter," Elijah said thoughtfully. "She's an unknown element."

"I can't believe this," Kol huffed as he decided to drive faster. The quicker Bella was safe away from him and his family, the better.


	3. Revival part 2

He hadn't been aware of the feelings he still had for Myriam until she opened the door of her little cabin in the woods. She looked absolutely beautiful and in good health, well fed. But she didn't even look at him, even when he was standing right in front of her. "Undo the compulsion now," he growled at his brother, at the same time Myriam punched Elijah in the face before she gracefully turned to Bella, who had taken a few steps back and was nearly hiding behind Kol.

"You never know what I found," Myriam smiled at the girl as she squatted down as not to be as imposing on her with her height. "I found your records from the time you spent with us at the Sanatorium! Isn't that great?"

"I don't know?" Bella said carefully, taking another step back, but relaxing just a little bit.

"And guess what? In this modern time you would never even have been admitted! I can fix you, young lady, and I will help you just so after that oaf frees me from what he's done to me," she said as she pointed at Elijah before getting back to her feet and turning to him. "Well? I can help her, but only if you remove the compulsion you put on me, otherwise it's a no-go."

"I'm surprised you still live here," Elijah remarked casually. "I'd have thought you would have moved to Baton Rouge or something."

"New Orleans is _my_ city," Myriam said as she jabbed her index finger against his chest. "And you took her away from me, now, undo it," she said as she removed her bracelet - likely filled with vervain - and dropped it to the ground. "And I swear, if you two mess with me again, I will find a way to kill all of you. Surely there must be a white oak tree around somewhere!"

Klaus smirked as he looked at his brother. "She hasn't changed a bit."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Elijah let out a breath before he looked Myriam in the eye. "Your access to New Orleans has no longer a restriction. You're free to go wherever you wish."

"I'm going dancing!" Myriam grinned as she snapped Elijah's neck and kicked him so hard that he was flying through the Bayou. "Fucker!" She called after him, before turning back to Bella, who had now turned into a small bundle of nerves. "So, you," Myriam said as she pushed Kol to the side and started to circle Bella, sniffing her, taking in her scent as if she was a prey. "Don't be afraid, I'm not going to hurt you, Elijah had it coming."

"You'd better not hurt her," Kol warned her as he kept his eyes on Myriam.

Myriam glared at him to shut him up before she focused on Bella again. "So, what I said… allow me to explain myself. You are completely normal, Bella, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You may have some difficulties with certain circumstances, or situations, but that's nothing what a bit of patience and avoidance can't fix. Socially you don't have a filter, which is alright too, a lot of people these days are too careful and miscommunication happens because of it. No, you are refreshing and exactly what Kol needs."

"Leave me out of this," Kol scowled. "We came to you for help."

"And I'm helping," Myriam countered as she kept circling Bella. "So, you're probably already tired from your day, and of course the last few days. You need rest and ugh, a shower. Food. Good food, and you'll start to feel better. Always take a nap when you feel like it, you're immortal now. You can do whatever the fuck you want. Now, I know you're a little depressed, you feel lost and you don't know what to do with yourself, because you only came back to save Kol and you're still here. Again, you can do whatever the fuck you want, don't let anybody stop you and I'm pretty sure the Mikaelsons are more than willing to help you financially with that. If not, I'll continue to be a thorn in their side until they will. You have PTSD, but guess what? So have they. Granted, they decided to be unhealthy with it, but you have a better head on your shoulders, you could find yourself a therapist if you need it, but you don't, really. Time is a scary thing, and no doubt even I'm going to have to get used to New Orleans again, although I've been living for the last 100 years. It's scary, but you can do it. Start small, continue to do that until you feel comfortable and then expand. The Mikaelsons aren't bad people. Not all the time. Elijah is really bad though, I wouldn't trust him. The most of them are incredibly misunderstood and they all like to fight each other."

"She can't stay with me, or them," Kol said as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It's why I came to you with Davina."

"Oh, Davina," Myriam sighed dramatically. "That manipulative, conniving little bitch. See, I thought you lot were selfish, but she's the worst. And you fell for her because she gave you what you wanted. Love and attention. She's a powerful witch, so she can protect you from your brothers but deep down, she's a bratty little teenager with way too much lipgloss. She fucking broke Klaus' link to his sired vampires. To me. And didn't even warn me about it, knowing full well that I'm linked to him and it fucking hurt. And he's not even here to see me, so I guess that's my answer to the question if he still interested in me or not."

"Uh, but uh…" Kol pointed next to him. "He's right-"

"Shut up, I'm talking!" Myriam growled at him. "Davina likes to use people for her own benefit, and then lies about it for doing so. Such as that runt Hayley, who she had kill almost an entire coven. Davina brought back Mikael as an attack dog against the Mikaelsons. She keeps poking the proverbial bear and the only reason why she hasn't been killed yet is because of Marcel and now yourself, Kol. She condemns other people while she has done worse in the past few years. Enough is enough. Do you honestly believe that she'll continue to love you, Kol? You're no longer a human, you're your vampire self and oh god, too violent because you know you're worse than your brothers, well, not worse than Elijah. He's the worst. But you're honest and you don't manipulate. You make no excuses for your behaviour. You like to play with your food and get messy. How long until she's going to resent you? It was her idea to bring Bella to me, wasn't it? You see, I may not have been able to get into New Orleans, but I do know everything that's going on. I have my spies."

"You know nothing about me and Davina! And it wasn't about her, it's about Bella. Help her."

"I did. And now I'm going to party! Visit my old haunts. Find a cure of my bestie Rebekah so we can paint the town red."

"I never knew she was friends with our sister," Klaus muttered before angrily stomping off in the general direction of where Myriam had kicked his brother. She was still compelled, it was as if he wasn't even there and he just knew Elijah was responsible for this.

"I think I missed something," Bella said to Kol.

"Don't worry darling, I think we're both missing something here," he gently squeezed her shoulder before looking at Myriam again. "So, you're just going to leave Bella here, all by herself?"

Myriam laughed. "Oh, she could stay here, all by herself, with the werewolves and the bugs and the spiders… but how will she get food? Now, my idea was to burn the place down, but if you want to leave her here, that's fine too, just not alone. But to be fair, you're better off in the city."

"I can't take care of her! I'm the least capable person to do so, besides, with everything going on with the Prophecy and all that, I can't keep her safe. I can't be in two places at once!"

"Ah, but weren't you and Bella like best buds way back when? I mean, you ate your way through the Sanatorium for her, didn't you? You got me into this mess I'm in because of her. You're more than capable of taking care of her, Kol Mikaelson, stop putting yourself down," she then paused for a moment before a wicked grin appeared on her face. "You can help _me_ by killing Marcel. He's an asshole. If it weren't for him, New Orleans would be safer, and Davina wouldn't have been here to fuck things up. Oh, I could kill her too! You'd be free of her."

"You will _not_ kill Davina, she's mine. I love her."

"Oh honey, that's not love, that's called getting regular pussy. She only resurrected you because she believed you'd come back as a witch, not as a vampire. Sorry to burst your bubble, but she will start to resent you and your wicked ways," Myriam pointed out. "Besides, doesn't Davina look a lot like Bella?" She winked before speeding off into the general direction of New Orleans, cackling and cheering as she went.

Bella wasn't sure what to make of everything that she had heard, but quietly took the bag from the floor and headed inside the cabin. It smelled like roses, and herbs, potions. Blood. Her records were on the table, Myriam had truly read them.

"What are you doing?" Kol went after Bella after shaking his head a few times to ignore most of what the crazy vampire had said. If anything, the urge to return to New Orleans, to Davina, was stronger now, because the vampire had openly threatened his girlfriend.

Bella shrugged. "I can't come with you, you said that. I don't want you to spend money on me, so… Myriam offered this place, I suppose I can manage here."

"No chance," Kol said as he took her bag and grabbed her hand. "You're not staying here by yourself where you can be easily targeted by werewolves or the Ancestors. We'll figure something out."

Bella pulled her hand back. "Stop," she said as she tugged on her bag. "Enough, Kol. You've done your best, it didn't work out, now it's my turn, okay? Leave me here."

"No!"

"Yes," Bella said gently as she tugged on her bag again. "It'll be alright. I still have my magic, I can protect myself against a bunch of werewolves. And if not, I can't die, remember? Let me try this on my own, and if it doesn't work, I'll seek you out for help and you can try again."

"Bella…"

"Go to Davina, she's your heart. You love her. Spend time with her, you've earned it. I need to be alone. I'm tired."

"Don't do this."

"Why not? I'm out of everyone's way here. Just as you wanted."

"It's not what I want, at all, but-"

"It's okay," she bravely smiled at him, finally taking her bag and dropped it to the ground. She gently caressed his cheek and nodded towards the door. "Go." Kol had other priorities. Bella didn't even want herself to be a priority of his, she was low on the totem pole. She might even quietly leave New Orleans to make things easier on him. She nudged him slightly with her magic. A cabin in the woods was perfect for her, nice and quiet, just the animals around her and no pollution or loud noises or people. She was certain she was going to like it. Eventually.

He wasn't sure why he had just left her in the woods, all by herself with no one to take care of her, but he had. And he had a great time with Davina, whilst also dedicating time to protect his family when needed. It was fun to kill old enemies of his brother. It was also quite entertaining to have Nik force Elijah to find Myriam and undo the last bit of the compulsion. He had figured it out, in Myriam's compelled mind, Klaus wasn't around. She had been forbidden to seek him out as well, and once Myriam was back in her right mind, she and Nik were at it like bunnies. All the time. Most of the time. They both smelled like sex and baby vomit. Hayley was less than amused, but Nik had proven to be able to remain the doting father that he was.

When Lucien killed Cami, Klaus was beside himself, but Myriam was with him to dull the pain. But they were all now dead set on killing Lucien for once and for all, even Davina was on a warpath. Cami had been her friend, even after Cami turning. But they didn't even have time to properly deal with Lucien before the next thing happened, something that made it abundantly clear that the Ancestors wanted Lucien to take out every Original, like an attack dog. It was Van, the new Regent, the son of the woman Davina had Hayley kill.

Kol hadn't been around to protect Davina as he was so busy coming up with a solution to Lucien with Freya, but the aftermath made it all too clear that it had been Van and the witches who killed his Davina. She'd been tortured, her dead body had several scorch marks all over, and she had been flung across the church several times. Van even didn't bother hiding himself once Kol arrived to the scene and even tried to attack him - unable to control his rage, Kol ended Van and everyone else who entered that church. Witch or human, it didn't matter to him.

Myriam had been gloating the entire time, watching Kol eat through everyone up until the point where he lost control and not even Klaus and Elijah could talk him out of his frenzy. He didn't allow anyone near Davina's body, and brought her upstairs to her loft. She just laid there, not moving, dead, decomposing, and Kol wasn't moving either, he was willing her back to life, even though that was impossible.

Myriam had picked up Bella from the cabin. She had raged against Kol after he informed Myriam that Bella had told him to leave her alone. In her eyes, Bella had pushed Kol away because she was unsure about how to deal with her own feelings, and she knew that Kol didn't want to be with her, that she was unwanted and an inconvenience. Bella had barely changed over the few weeks that she'd been there. There was no doubt in Myriam's mind that she'd been sitting around all day and just looking out of the window. While the view was mesmerizing, Myriam could never sit like that day in and day out. Boring.

"Davina died a few days ago," Myriam explained as they sat in the open air donkey carriage back to the city. She had heard about Bella's problems with the car, and decided a more fun, but slow, approach to have Bella move around in the city. Bella sure seemed to appreciate the gesture of the compelled driver. "It was brutal and she was killed by a handful of her own. Kol killed them all. Now, I'm glad that she's dead, yet I'm sad because I didn't get to take a bite out of her."

"Why are you taking me back?"

"Because that maniac needs you right now to make him see reason and I think you're also the key in breaking the spell that that bitch had cast over him."

"Spell?"

"Oh yeah," Myriam smiled widely. "One so crafty that even her death can't break it! I couldn't wrap my mind around the fact that Kol loved Davina. That he believed that she was everything to him, I mean, he's over a thousand years old and he falls for someone like her? Seriously? You'd think that he'd have a better taste than someone as tacky as her, despite his chaotic nature."

"I wouldn't know, from what I've read and what I've seen is that love is unpredictable, you never know when it comes on your path or what it feels like. Perhaps his love for Davina was intense, but vampires do feel more intensely, don't they?"

"But Kol wasn't a vampire when he fell for her."

Bella shrugged. "Kaleb came across as a virgin to me, perhaps his body liked what he saw."

"Maybe, maybe not. But thanks to my extensive knowledge of herbs and potions, I've managed to identify the spell he was under, or that he was under a spell in the first place. It could also be the entire reason why he's responding so violently to her death, not even Klaus was this destructive when Camille died."

"Oh no," Bella said shocked. "Cami died?" She never had the pleasure to meet the woman in real life, but she'd often watched her study, visited her in Rousseau's, when she was still an Ancestor. She liked Cami and from what she was told by Kol, everyone liked her. "Poor Klaus!"

"Yeah… he smashed everything in sight, but the wake was a party, just as Cami had wanted. I believe Klaus is alright with it now, although it did fuel his anger towards Lucien."

"He's still not dead?"

"Nope," Myriam sighed as she grabbed something from the picnic basket and handed the sandwich to Bella to eat. "In any case, Davina might have tied the spell to you, thinking that nobody would be clever enough to figure it out. If you don't break the spell, Kol might be miserable for the rest of his life and won't be able to put Davina to rest."

"But he should," Bella said after giving it some thought. "I think I once saw a witch work on something that could destroy the Ancestors, the only thing needed was a spirit on the other side and someone living to bring it to them. I can't remember who, but I do know she was a Tremé witch."

"Are you sure?"

"I think so," Bella replied as she took a bite out of her sandwich, letting out a small moan because it tasted so good. "Davina's dead now, it's likely that the Ancestors will shred her soul into pieces and connect it to things or people that she held near and dear, so that her soul would be separate forever. The Ancestors are in control over Lucien, or something like that, aren't they? They want him to kill the Mikaelsons so that the witches can be back in control in the city."

"You're more observant than I gave you credit for, Bella," Myriam said impressed. "And we happen to know a Tremé witch, I think he'll be more than willing to help us destroy the Ancestors, too. But one step at a time. Kol needs to snap out of this. He hasn't allowed anyone to come near for days. It's just him and rotting Davina."

"But what makes you think that I can get close to him? Or that I'm the key to lifting the spell?"

"Just a hunch," Myriam winked. "Trust me."

"How can I trust you when you broke your word on helping me?"

"What!" Myriam said shocked. "I helped! You didn't need my help! I told you that! I helped you with the advice I gave you and Kol, but the both of you wouldn't listen."

Bella looked at her hands who were still holding most of the delicious sandwich. "I was intruding because of the mistake I made with the spells. It was only right that he wanted me away from him, he'd done it before, at least this time I had a little bit of influence over it, and I'm glad he didn't compel another man to take care of me, I've learned my lesson with that."

Myriam grabbed Bella's sandwich and threw it out of the cart. "You idiotic little thing," she said as she rolled her eyes. "I understand that emotions and feelings are difficult for you to comprehend, but that boy ate through half the Sanatorium to get you out of there. Not even Klaus would do that for someone he immensely liked, loved, or whatever." She was quiet then and shrugged. "On second thought, he might have. We haven't really been in a situation like that yet. And hopefully it'll never happen. Elijah had compelled me, and Klaus thought I had fucked off or that I had died in the fire his father had set to the theatre but I wasn't even there. Point is, that boy likes you. A lot. To the point of doing horrible things to make sure you are safe. Because he was right back then, you didn't belong at the Sanatorium and it was good of him to get you out… although he could just have compelled the nursing staff. But he didn't. He snacked on them. And found you the man you wanted - the man society pressured you to have. And he made a mistake with that. Kol Mikaelson doesn't feel guilt that easily, but believe me, he still feels guilty about that."

"If you look at it that way…"

"And then there's you. If Kol had merely been a friend, you wouldn't have gone through all the effort of resurrection and becoming the potion to cure him from the hold the Ancestors had on him. You didn't have to do that after he put you with Edward."

"No, but he helped me after I had a mental break after killing Edward… was only fair I helped him now."

"And he needs your help now, and you're still willing to help him."

"Because he wanted to help me to get better by bringing me to you."

"I should so get you drunk so you can get in touch with your feelings," Myriam sighed as she handed Bella another sandwich. "Eat up. We'll be with Kol shortly."

Bella nearly regurgitated her sandwich as she reached the loft where Davina and Kol where. The stench of decaying flesh hurting her nostrils. She quietly moved into the room and opened the window, before she moved to sit with Kol, not saying a word. She couldn't, at this point. She wasn't sure how Kol managed to sit here for days with Davina rotting away.

They sat there for a few hours before Bella had gotten used to the smell somewhat and reached for Kol's arm, to gently rub it to get his attention. "Hey," she said softly.

Kol let out a deep breath and looked at her, his vampire face bleeding out. "Go away, Bella."

"When's the last time you had something to eat?" she asked as she continued to rub his arm. "You look a little bit grey around the edges."

"Let me dessicate, it's better than to be without Davina," he murmured, not looking away from Bella. Warm Bella. Good smelling Bella, fresh like the forest, and her blood smelling so sweet, something he could definitely use right now. But no, it'd be too painful for him, and yet, he couldn't understand why. He'd been trying to understand it for the last couple of days because he remembered that at some point he referred to Davina as a convenient fuck - inside his head, of course - and that didn't explain why he was feeling what he was feeling now. As if it was the end of the world.

"But if you dessicate, what will become of me? You'd practically be dead, right?" Bella wondered out loud. "Would that mean I get to die too?"

He hadn't thought of it that way. Desiccation was out of the question then. Bella deserved a good life, even if that meant he had to live in pain for the rest of his immortal life. "I suppose you're right," he said softly, planting a kiss on Bella's forehead. "But I thought you didn't mind dying again. You were so adamant before."

"Because it's unnatural, it's not right… but I'm no longer natural, am I? I'm like you, supernatural, and I do want to study and become someone you can be proud of."

"So no to dying?"

"No to dying," she nodded as she caressed his cheek. "I heard you went to town on the witches who killed Davina, how did they taste?"

"Bitter," he scowled. "Didn't feed much."

She scooted closer to him and smiled. "How do I smell? Good?"

"Sweet… but Bella… I can't-"

"Yes you can. And once you're feeling better, you're going to ask your sister to consecrate Davina on the cemetery."

"But the Ancestors, they will-"

"I know," she said soothingly. "But I think that Myriam and I have a plan for that. Davina will remain whole and she will help us with the Ancestors and weakening Lucien so that your brother can kill him."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Bella nodded as she offered her wrist to him. "Take as much as you need, even if it's everything."

He listened for her heartbeat, it was slow and steady. She wasn't afraid of him, not at all. She was fearless and didn't fear him. That's likely why she smelled so sweet and enticing. "Are you sure?"

"Bite me," she nearly pushed her wrist into his mouth. This whole time his vampire face had been out, and he likely hadn't noticed. She knew she had to do this. For him. She was going to stick around for as long as he needed her company as he worked through his grief. Quiet and observing. Keeping an eye on him. That was her purpose now. To look after him. She'd get better in time, but he needed to be better first.

He bit down on her wrist and nearly inhaled her blood. She tasted so sweet, so good, so arousing. It was like a fog lifted from his mind and it was then when he started to smell the decaying body in the room, realizing it was Davina and not feeling much towards her. Davina was gone, she had been killed and he felt free. And he was drinking Bella's blood again. His saviour a couple of weeks ago and now she was saving him from himself. But she tasted so good, he needed more.

Kol pulled Bella into his lap as he released her wrist and bit down on her neck, holding her close to him as he drank deep, keeping an ear out for her heartbeat, that it wouldn't become too slow so she had to recover for a long time, but slow enough. Her little moans weren't helping him keeping control over himself. She was crazy. His type of crazy. His. Period.

He stopped feeding when she fell into him, her head on his shoulder, her heartbeat just on the verge of stopping. He fed her a little of his blood to heal her and carried her out of the room, leaving the stench of death behind them. Kol was greeted by a grinning Myriam at the end of the hall. "Whatever you did…."

"I gave her a nice tasty sandwich with hopefully an antidote to whatever Davina did to you, basically she was once again a cure," she smirked. "You're welcome."

"Now what?"

Myriam shrugged. "Like you said, consecrate Davina, have the Ancestors shred her soul and in the meantime we're going to talk to Vincent."

"Vincent?" Kol knew that he wanted to hurt the Ancestors, but why were they going to talk to him?

"Bella told me that she once observed a Tremé witch making plans to destroy the Ancestors, but she couldn't tell me who. Maybe Vincent knows."

"Oh boy," Kol let out a breath as the barely conscious Bella was still in his arms. "Alright, I suppose I could take her to the compound…"

"The guest room is already ready for her," Myriam smiled as she danced behind Kol as he descended the stairs with a little bundle in his arms. "Love. So beautiful."

"It's not love, Myriam," Kol growled. "This was entrapment and you used her to snap me out of Davina's hold. That's not nice."

"Oh shut up and be glad that it's over."

It was strange to wake up to traffic noises around the house and people talking. On top of that, she was in a really comfortable bed and didn't want to get up to see where she was, because she knew. She _knew_ she was at the Mikaelson family home in the middle of the Quarter and it was likely that Kol had taken her there to recover. "Kol," she said as she sat up, remembering her new purpose now.

"I'm here," Kol said as he crawled onto the bed, his weight making her rise up a little as she was sitting. He just hated the fact that she was still wearing Davina's old clothes. He should have ripped it off of her or asked Myriam to do it. "See? Still here, pink and warm and making sure you're alright. How about some tea?"

"But- Davina, she-"

"Darling, she had me under a spell, an obsession spell. I had realized before that she and I were nothing but casual fucks, especially after I returned and not the way she had wanted. She preferred Kaleb."

"She didn't even give you a chance."

"I'd like to think that she had wavering morals," he said with a slight chuckle as he helped her to sit up straight in bed and handed her a cup of tea. "What she did was definitely not a nice thing to do, especially after all she and I went through."

"You're not sad?"

"A little, yes, but in the end, she had to resort to a spell to keep me with her, and that's trust that I misplaced. I'll do everything that I can to help her with the Ancestors, we're really close to getting that weapon you spoke of to Myriam. As it happens, it was Vincent's wife who was working on it."

"Wait, how long have I been out for?" She nearly sloshed the tea all over herself but managed not to spill anything.

"A couple of days," he smiled at her. "I didn't have the heart to wake you, you needed your rest."

"Oh… okay… that makes sense… so… what's the plan?"

"Well, the Ancestors have a funny sense of humor and one of Davina's soul fragments is attached to me, I have to go over there to make Davina whole again with two others and the object," he said carefully as he watched her take a sip of her tea. "It will be quite dangerous, I just wanted you to know that."

"Do you want me to be with you?"

"Nah, darling, it's safer for you if you stay here, since we're meddling with the Ancestors and all. Myriam is staying with you. Hayley will be with Hope. I believe Myriam has plans for you, but she wouldn't let me in on the secret."

Bella took another sip of her tea. "Do you want me to go back to the cabin?"

"Do you want to?"

She shook her head. "I need to look after you, to make sure you're alright. You did love Davina at some point, the grief will hit you and when it does…"

"I already killed most of the 9th Ward Coven after they killed her, I'm sure I'll be fine," he kissed the top of her head. "But I don't mind if you stuck around a little here. You're safe here, and Nik isn't that bad. Neither is Myriam. And when Freya's not too busy, she might want to teach you a few new spells or something."

"What changed your mind?"

"You breaking the hold Davina had over me, suddenly a lot of things became clear to me," he sighed deeply. "Can you please forgive me for wanting you out of my way and away from my family? I never ever wanted to do that to you again and I did it anyway. I'm a horrible person."

"You're not a horrible person and of course I forgive you," she smiled at him. "I wanted to be out of your way too, remember? I'm only intruding."

"Never think that again," he said, a hint of anger around the edges. "You're not intruding, ever, you understand? You're the most unintrusive person I've ever met, so don't ever think that again."

"Aren't I a burden to you then?"

"No, and I'm sorry if I made you feel that way."

"You didn't," Bella took a sip of her tea. "I feel like I am because I'm unprepared for this, I feel like a child who's learning to walk again and that's a horrible feeling."

"It's fairly easy, really. Just ignore all the new things and start with the similarities. Work your way up from there," he said as he handed her an old flip phone. "This is a phone. You can open it to call people. Hold number one long enough and it'll automatically dial my number if you need me and I'm away. Number two is Myriam and well, because Nik insisted, his number is under three."

"But usually things can wait until you get back?"

"Not in this modern age, people want to know where you are at all times and be reachable at all times, too," he smiled before he produced a wallet that was covered with unicorns. He took her mug of tea and set it aside before opening it for her, revealing her ID. "Your name is still Bella Swan, but Elijah has managed to give you an entire new identity so that you can show authorities questioning your identity that you are a real person. Because of this ID, we were able to open a bank account in your name," he said pointing at the other card. "No doubt Myriam will explain to you how it works. Barely anyone walks around with paper money these days. Now, there is money in your account, and you can do with it as you please. Such as buying books to help you study. Or to buy yourself new clothes, I've decided not to go back to the cabin to get Davina's old clothes for you."

"But-"

"No buts. Treat Myriam on an ice cream when she takes you out, she'll love that," he smiled at her. "Have fun with it, please. For all I care you use what you need and never touch that card again. I just want you to have fun and not to worry that you're wasting money, okay?"

"You're being very strange right now, Kol," she said as she eyed him curiously.

"This is me, helping you. Setting you up and make sure that you're a part of our society," he insisted, pushing a strand of her brown hair behind her ear before getting a tiny handbag off the floor. "I didn't know what you liked, so I got something simple but safe and easy to carry. It's for your phone and purse."

"You didn't have to do this."

"Yes, I did and you need to allow me to take care of you. You can help me to get better, and I will help you," he sighed as he shifted a little on the bed. "It's difficult for me to admit, but I've always felt at peace with you. My mind stops racing and everything is clear. You don't judge. You're different than everyone else and I like that, very much so."

"You're being very very strange, Kol."

"It's called kindness, Bella," he smirked. "You haven't been shown that a lot while you're being kind to everyone you meet, so get used to it." He reached for her tea and handed it back to her. "Now, stay in bed for as long as you want, the bathroom is to the side and the bath is glorious. With any luck, I'll be back home in the morning."

"Wait, what? You're going to destroy the Ancestors today?"

"Hopefully," Kol smiled at her. "I want you to be here when I get back, okay? No more running. This is your home now unless you think you want to be somewhere else."

"Be careful, don't let Davina manipulate you again."

"She's a ghost, what can she do to me?"

"You'll be a ghost when you go and visit her," she pointed out, taking another sip of her tea. "So you need to be careful and not to allow her to draw you back. So be strong."

"Don't worry, darling, I'll make it back safely."


	4. Revival part 3

After Kol had left, Myriam bounced into the room and told Bella to freshen up so they could go out and have some retail therapy. Bella needed her own clothes, her own style, and wearing some dead psycho-witch' clothes was simply a no-no. While she had been able to deal with Myriam's energy before, now that the vampire was free of her boundaries and restrictions, Bella felt that she was in her face.

Perhaps just what she needed. Kol seemed to like her enough.

Bella took a quick shower and got back into her clothes and Myriam was already impatiently waiting for her, holding her bag for her. "I'm going to take you into town. If at any point you become overwhelmed, tell me so we can move away and wait for you to calm down, okay? No need to bottle it up or to avoid it, we're going. Simple as that. And eventually, it'll become easier, but I think you know that," Myriam said as she handed her her bag with a smile on her face. "Stop hiding, Bella, Kol told me you've got quite the mind and mouth."

"Okay," she replied carefully.

"And if you don't want to shop for clothes, that's fine too. But you need your own clothes, your own style."

"No, I understand, it was merely not a priority of mine."

"And I understand that," Myriam playfully pushed her towards the door leading to the pathway on the first floor. The whole compound was empty apart from Hayley and Hope, as everyone else had gone off to attend the spell to get the Ancestors over with. "Look at this place, it's a fortress and you're safe. Nobody here is going to hurt you or judge you or make fun of you. If they do, you're well in your right to give them hell for it, because they're in no position to make that judgement as they're all a bunch of paranoid idiots for the most part, and dealing with all different kinds of PTSD in unhealthy ways. And it works for them."

"So… rationalizing that I could be the Beast from their prophecy wasn't a good thing then?"

"Oh, it was," Myriam said as she lead Bella down the stairs. "It got them thinking, and it's good to get them to stop and think every once in awhile, to see situations from a different perspective. And yes, both Elijah and Freya still believe that you could have been right, but Kol, Klaus and I believe that it's bullshit. If Rebekah were here, she'd think it's bullshit too." Myriam then paused for a second then and turned to face Bella. "Hey, you don't happen to know the cure to Bekah's curse, do you?"

"I'm not that good of a witch," Bella said blushing. "I can do some cleaning spells to make my job easier when I have to wash the floor or dishes, I'm good with herbs, but I'm really weak and a useless witch."

"No, you're a witch. Not useless. And if you want more power to do things, I'm sure that Kol has a few tricks up his sleeve to boost your power."

"I don't want to boost my power, I don't want to be a witch, I want to be a vet," Bella said determined as they walked over the courtyard. Myriam was right, this place was a fortress and it was also very beautiful. "And maybe use my herbal knowledge to heal sick animals instead of using regular medicine, but that's something completely different."

"Finally a witch who's not self involved and power hungry! Good on you, Bella Swan, good on you!" Myriam cheered. "Now, I take it you can read?"

"Of course."

"What about math?"

Bella shrugged then. "I think I was fortunate that I was taught how to read because my father sent me away to New Orleans to that coven of witches."

"Fair enough," Myriam replied, thoughtfully. "To become a vet or at least to qualify you'd need to know about biology, chemistry and science, how about we tackle one or two subjects at the time? Math and biology?"

"Is that even possible?"

"Oh honey, you can buy school text books in normal bookstores now. We'll start with the lower grades and work our way up, time a plenty, isn't there?" Myriam laughed as they walked out of the courtyard and straight onto the busy Bourbon Street. "You need to have something to do or your mind will become your prison. I hold several phd's because I never gave up studying. I love to study."

"What did you study?"

"Well, I'm a trained nurse, midwife, psychologist, herbalist… I can run businesses if I want to… the possibilities are endless. I think Vet's assistant would be a new one."

"Why go for assistant?"

"Because I'd like to work with you," Myriam smiled at her. "I'm pretty sure Rebekah would volunteer to run the administration department and the three of us could be the best veterinary clinic New Orleans have ever seen!"

Bella started to laugh. "Big dreams, keep dreaming."

"It's not a dream when it'll be reality, now, let's go, we'll go somewhere else than Forever 21 where that bitch got her clothes from," Myriam pointed her down the street and was glad that Bella followed.

As the morning progressed, Myriam watched Bella come out of her shell more. She didn't need to be told what to do, just gently steered into the right direction, unless she asked for clarification of something. Her mind worked quick, and keeping her engaged was a hoot. Myriam could tell that Bella was a bit careful around her, mainly because the trust wasn't really there yet, but that was something that would grow. For now, she took pride in the fact that Bella truly seemed to be enjoying herself.

It wasn't unsurprising to Myriam that Bella went straight for the dresses. Of course, a lot had changed since the early 1900's, but Bella didn't seem to mind the lack of sleeves or the shortness of the skirts, although she did have her limits. Knee-length was short enough, in her opinion. And Myriam didn't even have to tell Bella about the clothes or if it looked good on her or not, Bella had her own opinions and they were correct. Some of the dresses even enhanced Bella's assets a bit and Myriam knew that Kol was going to have a hard time resisting Bella, or at least to see her as a mere friend.

There was a connection between them. It was obvious, it was clear, but not to them. And it wasn't as if Myriam was forcing them to be together, but they were clearly exhibiting couple behaviour and from the stories Kol had told her about Bella and him in the 1900's, they'd been exhibiting that same behaviour then, too. It was no secret that Kol Mikaelson loved his witches, but Bella had stolen his heart and had never returned it to him.

Kol had only fallen for Davina by accident when he was a human. She'd been the first warm body who actually acknowledged him and was curious about him and that had been something new, but she'd been nothing but a replacement, a cheap copy of Bella, and an even cheaper personality. No, it was a good thing the backstabbing bitch was dead, although Myriam would have loved to have killed Davina herself.

See, despite her banishment from New Orleans, Myriam knew everything that was going on thanks to her spies in the city, especially when the Mikaelsons returned to New Orleans to save the witches from that fucktard Marcel. Compelled humans or some of her loyal vampires Elijah didn't know about. Fucking Elijah. He should really impale himself on a branch of a White Oak Tree.

They had a late lunch at the waterside before Myriam took Bella to one of her favourite bookstores to buy math and biology books on the lowest grade possible, small steps, and Bella seemed to agree, but she was also interested in a book on the anatomy of animals. While she likely wouldn't be able to understand most of it in the book, Myriam found her determination encouraging and heartwarming.

When they were done, the night was already falling and Myriam took her to the Garden District to a restaurant that had been around since the late 1800's, and that had been a mistake. Bella refused to go in there as Edward had taken her dining there a couple of times, quite the fancy establishment, and it had gone wrong every single time. She was clawing her arms in frustration whenever Myriam tried to stop her from walking away, much to the point where she drew blood, and then Myriam gave up. She hadn't known, but she also felt slightly disappointed that Bella didn't trust Myriam enough to make sure she'd be safe in there. Edward was long dead.

Perhaps she should find out where the asshole's buried, and then take Bella with her to the grave and dig his bones up, only to start a bonfire and release the girl from bad memories. Or at least make a first step at it. Then again, Bella had killed Edward in a fit of rage, and that idea could actually backfire and make things worse.

After Bella had calmed down somewhat, she thanked Myriam for a lovely morning and afternoon, but that she'd liked to go _home_ now. And they did. It was a good thing that Bella remained out of the loop with the things going on right now, it was what would keep her safe in the end.

Lucien was already dead, and after destroying the Ancestors they would have to deal with Marcel. Despite all the proof against Marcel and for Bella, Elijah and Freya still were a bit on the fence about Bella's involvement in all of this, but Marcel was the new super vampire and he could mean the end to every Mikaelson. Things were at play that Bella wouldn't like, but they couldn't resolve this peacefully.

The whole family were in different places right now, Klaus and Elijah were dealing with Marcel - which sucked because Klaus would be the first to be ripped apart by Marcel, and Kol, Josh and Vincent were now working on destroying the Ancestors. And Myriam was worried. Bella knew that Kol was going to play with the Ancestors, but she didn't seem to be worried.

She followed Bella up to her room and leaned against the doorpost as Bella started to calm down some more. "Aren't you worried about Kol? What if Davina keeps him over there while she destroys the Ancestors?"

"Then I'll set fire to her body so she won't be to return, ever," Bella muttered, having stopped scratching herself. She cast a minor spell on her arms to have them heal faster and stumbled when a shock wave was sent through New Orleans, explosions could be heard in the distance. "But I think everything is going to plan… Kol will be home soon."

"How do you know? You have some sort of weird connection to him apart from your life being dependant on his?" Myriam asked curiously. If this was the case, it was a very dangerous thing to have, indeed. Luckily Freya established that the link only went from Kol to Bella, not the other way around too - otherwise it meant that they'd have to keep Bella alive at all costs and that it was a closed loop. Myriam didn't like Freya much, but Klaus seemed to trust his sister.

Myriam was curious to hear what Rebekah thought of her. Closed loops were hard to break, but Freya believed that she _could_ sever the link between Kol and Bella if needed. If Bella turned out to be someone else. Or if she'd turn on the family in the future.

"No," Bella replied as she sat down on the bed. "Those explosions came from the City of the Dead and I felt some invisible tie break deep inside of me. Kol's been successful in having Davina help to sever the link."

"Okay," Myriam nodded. "Are you hungry? Should I have the cook prepare you something delicious?"

"No thank you," she looked at Myriam and smiled at her. "Again, thank you for the lovely day out, it was good."

"You're very welcome, be prepared for more of those days," Myriam winked before getting the feeling that Bella wanted to be alone. She was going to have one of the servants bring up some tea and sandwiches for her later, but now she was left in her worry about Klaus. She understood why she had to stay at the compound, or at least far away from everyone else, with Bella - it was for their own protection and theirs, but still, it hurt. After a century of being apart, all Myriam wanted was to screw Klaus' brains out, every single minute of every single day, to make up for lost times.

A few hours later, Kol appeared in her doorway, gently knocking to get her attention. He looked somewhat dishevelled, but Bella was glad that he was still in one piece. "I know you don't like touching and stuff, but I could really use a hug right now," Kol said softly, a hopeful look in his eyes.

Bella nodded, put her book down and got off the bed to put her arms around him. It wasn't that she didn't like to be touched, or touching, but she was more open to it if she was asked or instigated it herself, that way she could keep control over the situation somewhat - as it was usually taken out of her hands. In that respect, she was easy and adjustable; if people wanted 'to do what's best for Bella', then she'd go along with it, silently making another plan if things would go wrong. It was how she taught herself to be more sociable, too.

"I'm glad you are back safe," she said as she gently rubbed his back, and was surprised when he put his arms around her too. Stiffening for only a moment, she found that she was liking this. He was strong, but he was gentle, it was almost as if she was wrapped in a nice warm blanket. There was a hint of blood on him, and she wasn't surprised that he'd gone and feed after his short reunion with Davina and all the excitement, but it didn't bother her, all the smells around them were fairly neutral. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," he replied, hugging her a little bit tighter. "But you felt the connection break, didn't you? Please tell me that the explosions weren't just for show."

"The connection is broken," Bella confirmed.

"Good," he breathed out. "Because for a moment there I wasn't sure if Davina was on the same page about the Ancestors as we are, but I guess that's what happens when one's soul gets shred by the people you were loyal to for so long."

"The Ancestors are a necessary evil, but for now, it's a good thing that they're disconnected."

"Yes," he agreed and then took another deep breath before letting her go. "How was your day with Myriam? Did you manage to find some things you liked?" Kol walked into the room and saw the clothes and the books spread out on the bed. "Darling, how are you going to sleep when your bed is this full?" he laughed.

Bella shrugged. "I figured you were going to be curious to my day and wanted to see."

"This is lovely," he smiled at her. "Did Myriam behave herself?"

"Of course, why wouldn't she?" Bella replied as she started to clear her bed. "And it was nice, the experience was like I was walking around with a friend instead of a chaperone."

He sat down on the bed and leafed through the biology book. "No more chaperones for you. It's unheard of for a young lady to be escorted outside the walls of her home, frankly, I believe that a lot of young ladies would rebel against their chaperone in this age."

"But what if I get overwhelmed or confused?"

"I gave you a phone this morning, darling," Kol winked at her. "But honestly, you'll be fine. You know the city as well as anyone of us and people are just people. But, shouldn't you want to go out alone, that's alright too."

Bella finished putting her dresses away and then turned around as if something clicked inside her mind. "Does that mean that when I know those books very well and am ready for new ones that I can go out by myself if I want to?"

"Yes, that's what I said, and only if you feel up to it."

She nodded as she crawled back onto the bed. "For now I'm good here," she smiled as she pointed at the books. "Lots to read and learn."

He let out a snort. "Don't forget to have some fun too, darling. All work and no play is no fun."

"But this is fun," Bella replied pointing at the books again, a small smile dancing on her lips. "Is that wrong?"

"Nope," he shook his head before sniffing the air and noticing a distinct lack of the smell of food hanging in the air. Sandwiches and tea, a few hours ago maybe. "Did you have dinner yet, Bella?" He believed he heard his brothers call for him from the courtyard, but whatever it was, it could wait. Bella was an ocean of calmness, and that was what he needed right now to stabilize himself after having to 'die' and interact with Davina.

"I was given some sandwiches and a pot of tea, I'm not hungry."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Bella smiled at him. "Myriam and I had a big lunch too, it was delicious. We had a table filled with all sorts of seafood and vegetables and it was amazing."

"Very well," he replied before sighing deeply. His brothers were determined. Very determined. "Will you excuse me for a moment? Nik and Elijah are demanding my presence downstairs."

"I was thinking about going to bed, but I wanted to wait up until you came home to make sure you're alright," Bella replied as she collected her books. "Don't worry, I'll still be here in the morning."

"You'd better," Kol laughed. "I might camp out in front of your door to make sure."

"Please don't," Bella replied with a sigh. "I was joking."

"I know, but who says I was?" Kol grinned before getting off the bed and jumped over the balustrade to land on his feet in front of his annoying siblings. "I'm here, what do you want?"

"Freya has been tracking my enemies," Klaus huffed, Kol could hear anxiety in his brother's voice. "They're all coming." He pushed the spelled map into his brother's hands. "Marcellus has taken the serum, Elijah killed him."

"I had no choice!" Elijah defended himself. "Had I known-"

Kol hummed as he looked at his sister's handiwork. All the blood was either already in or traveling to New Orleans. "I suppose you're not being paranoid when there is in fact a whole horde coming for you…"

"Now what?"

"It looks like it won't be long until they'll be knocking at the gate. It's good, I could use a good fight," Kol said as he handed the map back to his brother.

"Our advantage is that no vampire can cross that threshold as long as the deed stays in Freya's name," Elijah pointed out.

"So what? We just wait it out, starve to death?"

"If they are so determined to die at our hands, let them come," Klaus smirked as he watched the map with glee. "And it's going to be rather soon, you might wish to instruct Bella to get some place safe, somewhere not here."

"What about Myriam?"

"While this is a family matter and our old enemies come knocking, I don't believe Myriam would like to sit this one out," Klaus said as he shot off a text to Hayley. "Hayley, for that matter, doesn't have an option as she needs to protect Hope."

Bella had just dozed off before she was rudely awakened by noises coming from the roof and stairwell near her room. Carefully peeking out from her doors, she could see a bunch of vampires heading towards Klaus' study where Freya was at that point. She nearly got the air knocked out of her by Myriam as the vampire pushed her back into her room. "Collect your things, we're leaving," she ordered as she pushed a duffelbag into Bella's arms. "I'm not sure for how long, so take your new clothes and your books."

"What's going on?" Bella wondered as she did as she was told.

"Mikaelson trouble, they want me to take you to Lucien's old Penthouse to keep you safe and maybe we can find stuff that could cure Rebekah's curse or maybe even the cure to Lucien's bite."

"But I can't die," Bella replied, slightly confused. "I know my magic isn't good for battle but isn't it better I stay here and help out where I can?" What about Kol? He already had gone through such an ordeal today that she couldn't help but wonder if he was going to be okay. "And I thought Lucien's dead?"

"It's alright, Bella," Myriam said, helping the girl pack, definitely choosing not to tell her about Marcel. "There's no White Oak anymore, Kol will be safe. Now, are you ready? We really need to go."

Bella hated to be brought somewhere on vampire speed, Myriam had picked her up and was taking the roof route to the old penthouse. Bella was glad when she was standing on her own two feet again and ready to get on the elevator. "Why do I have the feeling that the situation is very dire and that I'm being kept out of it?"

"Because you're right," Myriam replied as the doors closed. "Elijah thinks this situation is none of your business, Klaus wants to give you time to have fun and to adjust and Kol wants to keep you out of harm's way and doesn't want you to worry about anything."

"Tell me what's going on," Bella urged her as they got off the elevator and headed into the penthouse suite. It was a mess, and Myriam quickly put all the chairs back on to their own feet and went looking for the safe. "Please?"

"You know Marcel's story, right?"

"How can't I know the story? It's what Kol spoke of very often when he was trying to teach me a different kind of magic when I was alive the first time," Bella said as she put her bag out of everyone's way. She was tired, but she couldn't sleep now, could she? "He's basically like a son to Klaus. Family, to most of them but not to Kol. He's always hated Marcel for taking his place in his sibling's hearts."

Myriam nodded. "Anyway, Marcel's really angry with the Mikaelsons, especially Klaus and Elijah, for being who they are. He's angry with Kol for not having been around to protect Davina when Van and his witches came for her-"

"But that was my fault, Kol was taking me to you!"

"It's not your fault and Marcel's a big baby and acting out right now. Toddler tantrum. Although it's far worse than that, Elijah killed Marcel today without having known that Marcel had already taken the serum that had made Lucien the beast. One bite from Marcel and they will all die."

"And you said that Kol was going to be fine!" Bella squeaked, her anxiety levels currently going through the roof. "But there is no cure!"

"Says who?" Hayley said as she brought Freya in. Like the supermom that she was, she had Hope with her too. Freya looked like death. "She got poisoned," she pointed out before plopping her onto the couch and assisted Myriam in finding the safe and other hiding spots. "Lucien has the antidote, we got it before, surely he put it somewhere here."

"Even if I was cured, the power I used to fight Lucien is gone. There's nothing that can stop Marcel now…" Freya said weakly. "I'm going to die."

"Shut up, you're not, and I've already taken care of Marcel," Hayley said determined. "Bella, could you look after Hope, please?"

"I'm not good with kids," Bella said carefully. "Especially as young as Hope, they wiggle."

"Stop being useless and look after my daughter while I'm trying to save this family!" Hayley growled at her, nearly launching herself at Bella but was being thrown back by Myriam. "Let me go," she growled at the vampire. The intruder. While Hayley didn't have feelings for Klaus anymore, she didn't like it that Hope was going to have Myriam as a stepmother.

"You do not talk to her like that, have I made myself clear?" Myriam said as she held Hayley down. "Stressed or not, you're not going to lose your temper."

Bella quickly picked up Hope and almost ran to the bedroom with the baby, quickly putting it down on the bed, put pillows on both sides and the baby dozed off in seconds. Exiting the bedroom, Bella grabbed a cloth, made it wet and put it on Freya's forehead to cool her down somewhat.

"There's nothing here, the place has been cleaned out," Myriam said after an extensive search. "Is Hope asleep?"

Bella nodded, as she kept a careful eye on Hayley. "If it starts to cry, it's not my problem, though. Kids aren't really my thing."

"I thought you were pregnant before?" Freya asked from beside her. "That's what Kol said, anyway."

"Not by choice," Bella replied as she turned the cloth on Freya's head. "And it died because I wasn't getting the help I needed."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Freya apologized and gently squeezed her hand. "I know what it's like to lose a child."

"I'm not sorry," Bella replied, pulling her hand back and jumping from the couch when Klaus dragged in a seriously injured Kol, followed by an equally injured Elijah. "Kol!"

"I'm sorry," he whined as Klaus dropped him on the other couch. "I'm going to die…"

"You're not going to die!" Klaus shot at him.

"That's what you told Finn and Cami, look where they are now!"

Klaus sighed as Hayley fussed over Elijah. "Look, Lucien engineered his venom from the seven werewolf packs, so maybe, that's the key to a cure."

Freya got up from the couch as she threw the cloth down. "Oh great, that's the first piece in a puzzle none of us will be alive to solve. I'm poisoned, Rebekah is hexed, and our brothers are bitten. We need three different cures to three different ailments, each of which could take years to find, and none of us will make it through the day."

"Time to come up with a plan then," Hayley said determined. "We still have time."

Bella pulled Kol into her arms and put her arms tightly around him. "I don't feel sick yet," she said hopeful. "Maybe you won't die after all."

"You heard Freya, there's no cure, and if there is, we'll all be dead before we find it, just put me to sleep already, put me out of my misery!"

"You're being overly dramatic," Bella said playfully as she ignored the rest of the voices in the room. She ran a hand through Kol's hair and could feel him shiver against her. "You're going to be alright," she said softly, worried, however, that it was not going to be that way. Kol was in rough shape and Elijah was fading. "Rest some, I'll be here."

"Don't leave me," Kol grabbed her hand and held it against his chest. "Please don't. If we do make it out of this alive, you and I are going to have a serious talk…" he groaned as his body twitched uncontrollably.

"About what?" Bella cast a minor spell to relax Kol a bit, not dampening his fighting spirit but to dull the pain somewhat. She couldn't stand seeing him in pain, not like this. He didn't deserve this.

"Missed opportunities. Missed chances… everything," he let out a breath as he closed his eyes. "Just don't leave me. Ever." He then faded a little, and Bella didn't have the heart to keep him awake. He needed his strength. Hayley handed her a new wet cloth and she put it on Kol's forehead. She wasn't sure what he meant by missed chances or missed opportunities, but she was keen to find out.

All of a sudden Kol shot up. "No, don't hurt her, Davina! Leave Bella alone!" He panted, it was almost as if he was having a panic attack.

"Hey," Bella said as she tried to pull him back into her arms, but he was stronger than her, even in his weakened state. "I'm right here," she said as she kept tugging on him. "Kol, I'm right here. Davina's gone."

"Freya! It's getting worse!" Hayley called out to Freya as she pushed Kol back down. "Calm down, Kol."

"Don't hurt her, Davina, please," Kol whimpered as he curled up against Bella, holding her tightly. Bella could feel and hear one of her bones crack, but she didn't care.

"I'm here," she whispered, gently rubbing his back. "You're going to be okay."

Not even 30 minutes later Freya had finished the spell she wanted to use to make all of the Mikaelsons sleep and enter a chambre du chasse to give Hayley, Myriam and Bella time to find the cures for all of them. For the poisoning, the bite and the curse. Myriam had hated the plan, she hated the idea of Klaus having to suffer for as long as they needed before they could get to him, and she had told him just that before he left. And she didn't like the plan because it meant having to spend time with Hayley. Myriam didn't mind Hope as she was Klaus' daughter, but Hayley was a bitch of a wolf.

Bella helped the now somewhat alert Kol into his chair around the table, as the rest of the Mikaelsons moved to sit at the table. There was a piece of paper on the table with their names on it in Old Norse. As soon as everyone was ready, Freya started to chant and Myriam pulled Bella back from Kol for safety reasons and Bella couldn't help but feel as if she was being suffocated, until everyone at the table let out a deep breath and went to sleep. It was only then when she could breathe again.

She quickly rushed over to Kol to make sure he didn't fall off his chair and looked at Hayley and Myriam. "Now what?"

"Now, I'm going to get their coffins, get the truck and we're going to load them up, and pick up Rebekah on the way out of town, it's going to be just us girls until we find everything we need, are you ready for that? Or do you want to stay in New Orleans by yourself and hope that that maniac doesn't come after you?" Hayley said impatiently as she checked up on Hope. "And we need to pack up Hope too."

"I promised Kol that I'm not leaving him, so I'm not going to," Bella said determined.

"He was delirious."

She had a feeling that Hayley didn't want her to come with. "I don't care, I promised."

In less than an hour the truck was packed, with both Hayley and Myriam lifting the coffins as if they weighed nothing, and Bella crawled in the back with them. "What are you doing?"

"There's no room in front for the four of us," Bella shrugged as she made herself comfortable in a corner near Kol's coffin. "I'll be here. Out of your way."

"Fine," Hayley huffed as she closed the truck and soon after Bella could feel the truck starting to move on high speed, they were truly going to leave New Orleans, and it was fearful and exciting. She had never left New Orleans before and now she was on the road with a vampire-werewolf hybrid, a vampire and a baby who was a tribrid. Their cargo was precious and their mission was an important one. There was no room to be afraid, they all had to be strong and do the best they could.

On to a new adventure...


	5. Revival part 4

**A/N:** As to why Bella didn't enter the deep sleep with Kol and his siblings. Yes, she's linked to Kol's life force, but that's it. She's not linked in other ways. The siblings are linked to Klaus, who's still alive and being tortured by Marcel, so he's also keeping Bella alive through Kol, because Kol isn't technically dead, merely in a slumber. It would be different if he had truly died 'moved on' or got staked. Magic is fickle and stupid.

* * *

Their first success came after a few months on the road, visiting all old company buildings previously owned by Lucien Castle and they found the first werewolf pack to request their venom for the cure. It was quite a modern pack and they lived in a small village where there was a mystical store as well.

Even though Bella had promised Kol not to leave him, she promised him that she was going to come back but wanted to find something to read. Be productive. Math and Biology wasn't being productive, she needed to become a stronger witch. Or at least work with her limitations and find other means. She was interested to learn about the Chambre du Chasse and how it worked. If there were ways to get in or out of there safely without endangering the original spell, just to keep the family up to date on their progress, that was a nice thing to do, wasn't it?

Bella could be delicate. She was going to be delicate. She stayed out of the way of Myriam and Hayley as much as possible, especially when the baby was crying. She hated babies. Bella went out to get them food and cooked, but she spent as much time with Kol and her books as possible.

She learned how to channel through powerful talismans or people over the next few months. Granted, she didn't like to use people and she wasn't sure if she even should boost her power, but she knew it wasn't enough to work with the Chambre du Chasse. While wearing the talisman she could even protect herself and the baby when they were attacked during a fight that Hayley had picked, Bella was impressed by the way the werewolf was flying through the air and collided with a tree. But still, the power made her fearful. This wasn't her.

On the first year anniversary of them leaving New Orleans in search for multiple cures, Bella was confident she could pay a visit to Kol and his family. "Can I ask you something?" Bella asked Myriam while all of them were around a campfire eating canned beans. The truck was behind them, not far away and they were in a safe spot somewhere in Washington state.

"What's up?"

"Would it be alright if I'd try to get into the Chambre du Chasse to see how everyone's doing? I've learned the spell, I know how to boost my power and I know how to get in there without destroying the world Freya created," she asked carefully, knowing that Myriam didn't want anyone messing with the magic. "We're safe here and yes, I've made some mistakes in the past but I know what I'm doing, otherwise I wouldn't ask."

Myriam let out a chuckle after shooting a warning glare to Hayley. "Bella, I know we're _all_ eager to see everyone back on their feet, but perhaps you should leave them alone. They'll likely ask you questions you feel uncomfortable to answer or you'll make them even more worried because it's taking so long."

"I miss my friend, I didn't get to spend a lot of time with him," Bella sighed as she put her can of beans down. "And I promised not to leave him, I want him to know I'm still here."

"Do it," Hayley said as she fed Hope. "Maybe it'll lift their spirits if someone comes to visit."

"You can't be serious!" Myriam scoffed. "They're safe now!"

"Yes, and your cuddly hybrid is still breathing and alive in whatever prison Marcel has for him, if you're really determined, you could go back and find out where he is to go and cuddle him, tell him everything's going to be alright and that his suffering isn't in vain," Hayley shot at her. "That girl has done nothing but study ever since we left for this purpose. We're safe here, we're taking a breather. Let her do something to help them out. Maybe Kol can convince her to leave us and be useless somewhere else."

"Here we go with the useless again!" Myriam huffed. "She's not useless. She's-" she sighed as she apologetically looked at Bella. "Okay, maybe a little bit useless then. But she's still here. She's still with us and still doesn't mind riding in the back with the coffins while we're driving around in comfort. She deserves talking to Kol more than you or I deserve to talk to Klaus or Elijah!"

"See, I knew you were going to say that," Hayley smirked as she looked at Bella. "You're welcome! Go have some fun, we'll check in on you in about an hour. Please be back by then. Don't get lost. You're here, they're not able to be here."

"Thank you," Bella said as she hurried to the truck. She wasn't a big fan of Hayley, but she knew that Hayley liked Elijah. If Bella going into the dream state and could bring back a message for her, sure, that was likely the only reason Hayley let her go. After climbing inside, she gathered her ingredients and talisman and opened Kol's coffin. It took her a couple of minutes to focus and get the right amount of power, but once that was all sorted, it was easy for Bella to slip into the Chambre Du Chasse.

Bella found herself in the middle of a huge back garden and a large mansion on the edge of it. There were birds flying around, making noises, and the flowers smelled extraordinary. The sun was out and burning, but the temperature was nice. She made her way to the house and could hear talking. "Hello?" Bella called out, having the feeling she needed to alert them for her for some reason.

Soon enough, three vampires were in front of her and Freya following shortly. "Bella! What are you… how?" Kol stammered as he walked towards her and hugged her, Bella allowed him to and even hugged him back. "You're here!"

"I'm impressed," Freya smiled as she finally caught up with her siblings.

"Ah, so this is the mystical Bella you lot were talking about," Rebekah commented. "She looks tiny and harmless. And like food."

Bella let go of Kol and looked at him before looking at his siblings. "I'm glad to see the spell has truly worked for you, how are you doing?"

"Bored," Rebekah and Kol chorused. "There's no entertainment, darling, too bad you didn't bring any games. Freya had forgotten about that when creating this world!"

Bella blinked. "I can bring things over? Seriously?"

"I'd rather not have you do that," Freya couldn't help but smile at the sentiment.

"Come sit with us, Bella," Kol said as he took her hand and pulled her with him to their luxurious lawn chairs. "Tell me, how are you managing this?"

"I've spent the last year studying the spell, learning everything about Chambres that I could and a witch taught me that I could channel objects and people to boost my power. I'm using a talisman right now that she voluntarily parted with," Bella said as she sat down. "While Myriam and Hayley are doing everything they can to get everything together for your salvation, I decided to focus on this. To tell you that I haven't left you, like you asked."

"Oh dear, she's smitten," Rebekah remarked as she sat down in her own lawnchair. "How cute. Another teenager."

"Beks, no need to be mean to our guest," Kol chided her. "Just because you're bored doesn't mean you can take it out on her." Kol kissed Bella's hand. "I am so proud of you. What does it feel like to have more power?"

"I'm a bit afraid of it, to be honest," Bella admitted. "I had to use it the other day to protect Hope and you guys when we were under attack and Myriam and Hayley were out. I sent someone flying so far and hard that he snapped a tree in half after colliding with it. I don't like that."

"You've given up on your math and biology studies?"

"For now," Bella nodded. "I hope you're not angry with me, but I wanted to be useful and not useless."

"Bella, how many times do I have to tell you that you're not useless?" he kissed her hand again and gently squeezed it. "How are they treating you?"

"I try to stay out of their way as much as I can. I try to avoid Hope, she keeps crying whenever I'm around her and she's loud. Myriam's nice and makes sure I have everything that I need, even defends me when Hayley is being a bit… complicated."

"Complicated?"

"She's in a constant state of fight. High adrenaline. And when she isn't, she's… complicated," Bella said carefully, knowing how much the family appreciated the hybrid and that she was basically their saviour now. "I don't really feel comfortable around her. But that's okay, don't worry about it. We're making great progress in seeking out the werewolves. We have found two packs now, and in a couple of days we'll be at a Kingfisher office where it's rumored to have the recipe for Freya's antidote," she said hopeful. "Myriam can't wait to get her hands on that so she can start collecting the herbs. Myriam is great with those herbs, you know. You can really tell that she's been studying for so long, and I can only hope that I'll get her extensive knowledge one day."

"Is there even room in the truck cab for all of you?"

"No," Bella smiled at Kol. "But that's okay, I'm in the back with you. Myriam avoids potholes when she's driving."

"Just how poorly is Hayley treating you, Bella?" Freya asked carefully. "Is she calling you useless again?"

"Still, but that's alright. I mean, she even told me I could leave if I wanted to, but I made a promise to Kol not to leave him, ever. So I'm staying."

"What else is she doing that makes you uncomfortable with her?"

"It's fine, I'm here for you, I'm not here to talk about my worries or troubles," Bella said as she looked at Elijah. "For example, is there anything you wish for Hayley to know so I can tell her?"

"Yes, for her to stop being a cunt," Freya remarked angrily. "While I feel quite safe with a vampire and a hybrid driving us around, you're also a line of defense and it's admirable that you're finding ways to help in your own way, such as boosting your power. Are Myriam and Hayley at least supportive of that?"

"Myriam didn't want me to come here, but Hayley managed to turn her around. Myriam was afraid I would harm the original spell, despite me feeling quite confident that I was able to do it safely. I would have understood it if the answer remained 'no', though. I'm not sure what I'm going to do after I go back. I don't like hurting people, but I also want you to be safe whenever I'm alone with you, watching you. Or, I could leave and wait for your return somewhere else, but that's scary."

"No, you stay where you are, darling," Kol smiled at her. "I feel a lot safer with you protecting us. Perhaps you could put a forcefield around us, too?"

"Already up, didn't need the talisman for that!" Bella said proudly. "It's like using my healing spells or when I'm cleaning, I don't need a boost for that. This spell, however, far beyond my powers."

"I know your interests don't lie with magic, Bella, that you want to resume your studying to become a veterinarian in the end, but continue to practise your magic and learn to work better with the talisman. There's nothing wrong with boosting your power, you're a responsible girl and I'm sure it'll be alright," Freya encouraged her. "It's always a good thing to have another witch in the family, no matter how powerful or not. Your speciality is healing, that is a good thing."

"And don't be afraid to put the bitch into place," Rebekah added. "Turn her into a toad or give her a headache from hell, that works."

"You have to envision Hayley's brains and then focus on that, then squeeze your hands into a fist, like this," Freya showed Bella the move. "And then hold that until she drops to her knees and screams in agony. It's quite effective."

"And painful," Kol muttered, having been on the receiving end of such a headache numerous of times.

"I can't believe we're discussing ways to hurt Hayley," Elijah huffed as he sipped his drink. "She responds to a civil conversation as well, you know."

"And Bella doesn't trust her, her words won't connect. This will," Freya nodded and made her way over to Bella, squeezing her free hand. "Just because Hayley - and Myriam - are more powerful than you are, doesn't mean that you have to take their shit. If you're tired of riding in the back of the truck, tell one of them to sit there while driving. If they say no, give them a headache if you can't get the words out. They'll get over it."

"And that neat little trick will work on werewolves as well. Humans might get seriously injured though," Kol smiled and got to his feet. "How long until you have to go back?"

"About twenty minutes or so."

"Good, let's go for a walk, you and I," he said as he helped her to her feet. "Let me show you around."

Freya pulled Bella into her arms and Bella stiffened as she allowed herself to be hugged. "Thank you for checking in on us."

Rebekah joined in on the hug. "Welcome to the family, little one."

"Help," Bella said with a small voice. "Too much."

"Alright, enough of the hugging, I'm going to show her around," Kol said as he gently nudged his sisters away from his friend and took Bella's hand to pull her with him. "Freya did a great job on this, didn't she?"

"I'm sorry that there's no entertainment though," Bella replied as she followed him.

"Eh," Kol shrugged. "I suppose the entertainment comes from family grievances, old ones at that. Loads of fighting going on. And of course, running after the wildlife. Little cute bunnies trying to outrun a vampire."

"Bunnies?"

"Or deer.. There are some elks in the vicinity too, but can't go that far out, it's a very tiny area Freya's put us in. Emotions run high quite easily and there's no place to hide," Kol sighed. "Frankly I wished I was back with the Ancestors, at least I could deal with their constant assault."

"But you've got me now," Bella gently squeezed his hand. "I can drop in every now and then."

"That would be lovely darling, but best not to mess around too much incase Freya's spell won't hold - now, that's not because I don't trust your abilities, it's that she had to create this in a hurry and it might not be as sturdy as she made it believe."

"You think it'll collapse? But then we're all going to die!"

"Nah, darling, I'm just saying we have to be careful with it. So no frequent visits, as much I love seeing your face," he explained as they walked around the corner, showing a large pool. "I understand this is a very strange place to have a good conversation, but now that you're here, I really wish to talk to about missed chances and opportunities. I've been waiting a whole year now, I don't believe I can wait longer."

"Okay?" Bella said confused, vaguely remembering the conversation before.

"Because everyone, including you, have been right. Everyone I've been seeing in the past century, and that's not a lot of people as I've been boxed for the most part, all reminded me of you in some way or another. Davina… well she looked like you… then there's Bonnie who I crushed on but she didn't like me. She marched to her own drum, much like yourself. And while I was saving you from the Sanatorium and placed you with Edward, I was seeing someone who was just as kind to me as you are. Thing is, Bella, I realized that I was mad for you ever since I laid eyes on you, but you weren't open for relationships back then and I'm not sure you're open for one now, but… I still want you to be my girlfriend, Bella."

She stopped, panicked, and pulled her hand back. "What?"

"Relax," Kol said as he took both her hands and squeezed them. "I know that comes as a shock to you, but nothing has to chance, okay? We remain friends and can take it slow, I know you trust me and like me enough to keep saving my ass, and let's continue this and move forward."

"I don't want your penis inside of me," Bella said quickly, blinking at him. "I am so not ready for that, Kol. I can't be… relationship? But… no! I like you but no penis inside of me!"

"I know we're far from that, but I'm willing to wait, I just want you to know that I'm not going to chase some other girl's tail anymore, because I want to be yours and yours alone."

"I won't leave you as promised."

"See? That's relationship territory," he winked at her. "And you're getting better. You like my hugs now."

"I just came here because I'm your friend, Kol, and wanted to show you that I am keeping my promise, and now you're…" She pulled her hands back and took a few steps back. "I need to go, I can't…" She could feel her heart beat in her throat. Bella didn't even have the time to say goodbye as her focus shifted and she fell out of the dream state quite roughly. Scrambling to her feet in the back of the truck, she slammed Kol's coffin shut and bolted out of the truck, nearly bumping into Myriam as she did.

"Bella?"

"No," she said as she hyperventilated, but kept running nevertheless. "No."

"Bella, hey," Myriam said worried as she stopped the girl in her tracks and made sure she stood still. Something was wrong, her heart beat was all over the place, it's what made her go to the truck a little early so she could check up on her, but Bella was having a panic attack. "Breathe," she said kindly as she made sure Bella looked at her. "Breathe."

"No," Bella whined as she struggled against the vampire's hold. "Let me go… please…"

"No, breathe and calm down," Myriam said calmly. "Talk to me, what happened? Did they hurt you? Are they in trouble?"

"No, they're fine," Bella breathed as she decided to steady herself against the vampire instead, there was no use of outrunning Myriam anyway and she felt too unstable to give her a vampire headache as taught by Freya.

Myriam pulled Bella down to the ground between the trees so they could sit down and have Bella continue to breathe in and out. Slowly. "Okay, that's good. Why are you upset, sweetheart?"

"Kol… he…"

"Did that asshole break your heart? I'm going to kill him!"

"No… he said he wants me to be his girlfriend! Do you know what that means?"

"Happiness?"

"No! It means that I'll get hurt and he will want his penis inside of me and I am so not… no! I help him because he's my friend and I care but… no!" Bella hiccuped as she wrapped her arms around herself and pulled her knees up. "I helped him because he deserved help, I allow him to hug me and I like it, but that's because I trust him, despite everything he's done wrong in the past. He's a good person. Even though he asked me not to leave him while he was delirious, I am standing by that promise and I'm making sure that I can protect him and his family but… does that really mean a relationship? I'm not made for that! I don't want his penis inside of me! Nor his hands on my bare skin!"

"I understand," Myriam replied, rubbing Bella's back. As always, Kol was moving too fast, perhaps this time out of desperation, that should he die or whatever, at least he wasn't alone. Still, Bella and Kol would be great together as a couple, she had only wished that Kol hadn't opened his mouth about it and just let things progress naturally like they were when Myriam had brought Bella back from the Bayou. "I wouldn't put much stock into his declaration, Bella," she said calmly. "He's likely acting out of desperation. He's stuck there in the Chambre Du Chasse, and you're here, able to encounter nice men and he wants you for himself."

"But I am his!" Bella countered surprised. "I don't see why that has to change? He can keep his penis far away from me, but the rest of him is more than welcome in my space. But no to relationships, those are bad. Very bad."

Well that was a strange turn of events. Bella panicked because Kol decided to label them as a couple and to be in a relationship, and she had only bad experiences with relationships. Myriam frowned as she decided on the next words to say. Taking a breath, the vampire was cautious in her movements around the girl but did not attempt to go closer than the girl was comfortable with at the moment. "From what I know of your history with Kol, your only experience in any kind of relationships was with the Cullen fellow and he wasn't the kindest man. I don't know if your mind might be helping with some fear here because Kol was involved with that but I can assure you that he regrets his part in it if you give him the opportunity to speak on it when we find the cure and bring them back. It will take time, but we will, together. Being afraid is okay, but it's your choice now that he's made his position known if you want to start to overcome those fears to start meeting him halfway if you want to have the relationship in the future he may look forward to when he comes out, or you could let him down and continue on with the friendship that may not even survive because of this new change of feelings, or just go on with separate lives when this is over. It is a lot to think about, I know, and I could beat him from here to Timbuktu for the pressure he put on you, but it's not like those feelings weren't there under the surface of Davina's magic before. When he came with Davina to ask for my help, and then brought you later, I could see it clearly. Klaus saw it too, but we tried not to say anything because of everything going on and knew it would take awhile for you adjust to the change of emotions for him to bring it up."

Bella thought of the words Myriam had said and again, was confused. "But I thought in this modern age women didn't have to have men?"

Myriam let out a chuckle. "No, we don't. But having someone you can cuddle with, to rely on and to have your back is nice. Men and women are equal now, or at least more equal than a century ago."

"Even someone like me?"

"What do you mean?" Myriam asked confused. "Someone like you? There's nothing wrong with you Bella, I told you that."

"But both you and Hayley called me useless today, before the spell. Hayley calls me useless at least once a day and she actively tries to push my buttons, so isn't it better for someone like me not to be in a relationship?"

"I already apologized for that, and I will do that again. I was trying to make a point to Hayley, but you do understand why I didn't want you to go in there, right? Freya had to construct the Chambre Du Chasse in quite a hurry and I was afraid your little trip was going to hurt the safety of the Mikaelsons."

"Kol said the same thing, I can come over, but not frequently," Bella admitted with a nod. "But it is very small and there's little to no entertainment. A lot of fighting, yes."

"I wouldn't have expected anything else, to be honest," Myriam smiled at her. "But you're not useless, Bella. No way ever. You wanted to continue to practise magic and get better on your own accord to protect the family, and you're finding out new ways to do things and I've never been against it, and never will be, because it does help to have a witch on our side."

"Even one without a lot of power?"

"You set up that force field around the truck on your own, I'd call that being very powerful because it still stands and all of us can move in and out of it. That's very clever. Just as turning yourself into Kol's cure when he was in trouble," she replied. "You're great with herbs and healing spells and it's great you want to apply that to becoming the best veterinarian out there with me as your assistant. And we should all be grateful that you've put that on hold to aid the family. That shows loyalty. Love. Determination. Don't tell me that they weren't impressed with you in that Chambre."

"They were," Bella replied softly, looking at her hands. "And Freya taught me something to defend myself even better, and maybe put Hayley in her place when she's being troublesome again. Because I'm not confident to tell her off, but I can hurt her now to show her I'm not pleased."

"It's not the vampire headache thing, is it?" Myriam winced. "Those hurt!"

"Don't worry," Bella smiled, looking at Myriam. "I'm not going to use it on you."

"Good, because us girls need to stay together and some new kid who has a child with my boyfriend can go to hell, despite her blooming relationship with that maniac Elijah. You don't trust him, do you?"

"No, he has darkness, and he's not nice."

"Good, because he's the worst out of all of them," Myriam nodded. "And as far as that vampire headache, you have my blessing to use it on Hayley, I can't wait for it, let's do that now!"

"No," Bella chuckled. "I think I'm going to bed, I'm exhausted."

"That's a good plan too," Myriam agreed as she got back to her feet and pulled Bella to hers. "Tomorrow we're crossing the border into Canada."

"I do have to admit, despite the circumstances, I do like this long road trip. I've never been outside of New Orleans apart from the long journey from California when I was a child, but I don't remember much from it, only that the coach ride was a long one. It's nice to see more of the world."

"Good, Kol likes to travel too, I'm sure he knows plenty of places to show you that we haven't even heard of," Myriam smiled as she and Bella walked back to the truck.

"I think I want to buy a photo camera so I can make pictures and show them to them after they wake up."

Myriam hummed. "Or, we could upgrade your phone to a smartphone. Then you can make calls with it _and_ take pictures," she said as she got out her phone and showed it to Bella. "See?" she turned on the camera and took a selfie with Bella. She then showed the result. "Instant result, too."

"Oh, I like that!" Bella said impressed and gently took Myriam's phone to look at the picture. "I look tired."

"Yes, but that's no surprise, seeing as you just said you're exhausted," she laughed and took her phone back. "Alright, no screens before bedtime. Are you sleeping outside with us or are you going to sleep in your den?"

"I'll go in the truck," Bella replied with a smile.

"Fine, hand me the talisman, young lady, I don't want you to go sneaking back in there with Kol to continue this talk with him. Let him stew for a little bit."

"But I'm tired, I was planning on going to sleep, I promise," Bella said, shaking her head. "I'll go back in next year or the year after, to make sure that I don't mess things up."

"Okay, good and good night."

"Good night," Bella replied as she crawled into the truck and made her way to her little corner where she had made her den, as Myriam called it. It was as comfortable as Bella could make it with a lot of blankets, but it was her spot. Tonight was going to be different though, she wasn't going to look at Kol's coffin, instead, she was going to turn her back on him so she could get some sleep and not having to think about him in her sleep.

Six months later, Bella had been gifted a fully charged pink moonstone by a friendly pack of wolves who Hayley had talked into of parting with their venom after Bella had taken a liking to their Shaman's herb garden. It made three packs now who gave them their venom, and that was great. The shaman's garden had some herbs needed for the antidote to Freya's poisoning and they had been allowed to take some with them as well.

Bella couldn't be happier. A moonstone meant that she didn't have to use the talisman to channel her power, but use the moonstone instead, and make it so that she wouldn't make such an impact on Freya's spell, either. She was slightly nervous about her impending visit, mainly after the last time, but she felt it was time for another visit, and Myriam agreed, while Hayley was causing problems this time.

For the first time since having been taught the spell to hurt a vampire, Bella reached out while holding the moonstone and gave Hayley the headache from hell, knocking her out completely, causing Myriam to smile widely. "Well done! Now, off you go, I'm going to look after the little one."

It was easier to get into the dream state with the moonstone, she didn't have to focus as much and it got a lot easier. She appeared back in the garden and was nearly run over by Kol and Rebekah as they were fighting with each other and running around. "Hey!" she called out angrily. "Careful where you walk! I'm just moving between the fabrics of planes of existence, no big deal!"

"Oh, the little one has a mouth!" Rebekah cooed after stopping and hugging Bella as a greeting. "You're back!"

"And I've made a safer trip, too," Bella beamed. "With a moonstone and it's pink!"

"Good girl," Rebekah smiled. "And just between us girls, I have your back, I couldn't help but to overhear your conversation with Kol the last time and I gave him a hard time about it."

"That's okay, but thank you," Bella smiled at her before looking at Kol, who looked like a beaten puppy. "I'm not angry with you, nor fearful, I understand why you said what you said, but we do need to talk about that. Just not now, only when you're out of here, okay?"

Kol was glad that Bella was back, and that she seemed… healthy and mouthy. And that she was willing to talk. He just hated it that she didn't want to talk about it _now_. It was likely Myriam's influence on her. Myriam had a thing for drawing things out and making people sweat for longer than necessary. "Okay," he nodded. "For what it's worth, I am sorry…"

"We can talk about anything but that," Bella pat her jeans and grinned as she got her phone out. "Seems like I can bring things in here! I've made pictures with this, Myriam got me this phone."

"Oh!" Rebekah snatched the phone out of Bella's hands and ran off with it, flipping through the photos as she went looking for Freya.

"So a fully charged _pink_ moonstone? Where did you find that?" Kol asked as he fell instep next to Bella as she slowly walked towards the house.

"Pack of werewolves. They had a lot of moonstones laying around, gifts for friendly witches and all charged, too. I feel it's more stable than the talisman, too. A lot more stable and less erratic in its energy discharge. More like a cuddly blanket than a prickly one," she replied. "And around me I have a protective circle with some protective herbs and some grounding stones such as Jasper and Quartz."

"Look at you, going all hippy," he smiled brightly. "I haven't seen a witch practise like that in ages!"

"No, because they're all supercharged freaks these days," Bella replied before Rebekah came back, showing Bella a picture. "Yeah, we went there."

"Kol, she went to the happiest place on Earth. Without us. This isn't fair," Rebekah pouted. "I swear, when we get out of here, we're going there. I need fun. I need entertainment and I want to be a Disney princess."

"Hope loved it," Bella smiled as she pushed one picture further, a picture of Hope covered in candy floss and chocolate ice cream.

"She's getting so big!" Rebekah whined. "We're missing out on quality aunt time!"

"So yeah, that's three venoms now and some ingredients. We're getting there."

"What about my curse?" Rebekah asked as she kept flipping through the phone.

"That one's proving to be a little bit tricky, but I swear, we're working on it," Bella replied, hopeful. "We're remaining positive. We're not leaving a stone unturned. Well, Hayley and Myriam are doing most of the work, I am browsing through books, amassed quite the selection in the back of the truck."

"Look at you, super witch," Kol said proudly.

Bella shrugged as she put her hands in her pocket. "I do what I have to do and once you're out, I'm going back to studying math and biology… and maybe a little bit of this on the side, I do have to admit, I'm enjoying this just a bit."

He was happy to hear that she was less fearful of her magic and when boosting it. She'd never be as powerful as Freya or Hope, but witches are a good thing for this family. And he liked teaching. If Bella was open to that… he could already imagine all the places he'd take her once he was out of here. "And, did you give Hayley a headache yet?"

"Yep, today was the first time I did it, she wanted to stop me from coming here… but I was holding the moonstone, she passed out," Bella shrugged again. "I didn't even think about it and just did it, and that… well… I suppose I should apologize when I get back. That hadn't been my intention."

"Kol! She went to New York!" Rebekah gasped as she followed her brother. "I didn't know there was a pack in New York!"

"There wasn't, we passed through on our way to Maine and Delaware. And of course to Pennsylvania. Packs are hard to find, especially particular ones. And of course, they like to make us chase our own tails in order to protect people. Some packs don't particularly like Hayley, either."

"Hope needs her mother, otherwise we would have killed Hayley ages ago," Rebekah mumbled. "Oh, Hope looks so adorable…"

"We have a safe house in Texas now, we're going there in the next couple of days and keep you all there. According to Hayley it'll be guarded by a werewolf grandmother with a shotgun," Bella said as she looked at Kol. "It'll make things easier for Myriam and Hayley to travel without the truck around, and Hope will have a sitter."

"Mary is a doll, she doesn't like us much, but she's a good person. A real grandmother. She may not like Myriam, but you're not a threat to her so she'll like you," Rebekah said as she still followed Bella and Kol while flipping through the phone.

"We'll see," Bella shrugged. "I don't really care, as long as you're safe. I don't even know where we're going, exactly, but we'll see. Myriam was talking about finding one of her sirelings loyal to her to keep an eye out on the house as well."

"Might not be a bad idea if the property you'll be hiding out at is a big one," Kol pointed out. "I am so proud of you, Bella, you're keeping up with your magic and learning new things and you're doing it. Just like that."

"With herbs and stones and I don't like the intensity much, but at least the stone feels a lot friendlier than the talisman. It's more natural."

"Stop putting yourself down, you're not like everyone else, so what?" Rebekah playfully tapped Bella's head. "Thanks to you we're not completely cut off from everyone else and Freya says it's quite hard to enter a Chambre de Chasse. So no more 'yeah buts'. Oh, pizza party!"

"That was fun," Bella smiled widely. "Just me and Myriam, a lot of pizza and some movies. Oh, and more snacks but a lot of pizza, tonight we're going to the movies and McDonalds."

"I'm glad you're having fun, Bella, but we do want to get out of here too!" Rebekah whined as she showed Kol another picture on Bella's phone.

"And do you know how hard it is to find the cure to your curse?" Bella countered playfully, not afraid of the vampire, Myriam told her that she could talk the way she spoke to Myriam and Kol to everyone. "Or to find some of the wolfpacks that are very good at hiding so we can cure your brothers? We're lucky we found the antidote for Freya! And Myriam and I are working it already, it has multiple layers, and it takes time. And Myriam and Hayley deserve a break from time to time. I know this situation isn't ideal, but it's what you have."

"This is worse than being boxed," Rebekah pouted before nodding. "But you are right. We're all very impatient, that's all. We believed it would be easier. How much time passed anyway?"

"18 months since Freya cast the spell," Bella replied as she took her phone back. She wasn't even sure if it was really here or still with her unconscious body in the back of the truck, but she felt naked without it in her pocket. "I'll try to bring in some cards next time and hope they'll stick around once I leave."

"Are you leaving already?" Kol asked surprised. "Why?"

"See this as a test run," Bella shrugged. "Besides, I'm not sure if me visiting is doing you any good, perhaps I should just leave you alone in your slumber until it's time to give you a warning that we're close to-"

"No, if you're able to come back, please do," Kol said quickly as he took her hand. "Don't leave just yet, please."

"I have no choice, Myriam's poking me to wake up. Talk to you soon," Bella said as she disappeared.

Kol scowled as he looked at his sister. "She's different. She's changed."

"That's what a little bit of confidence can do to a person, and Myriam has oodles to give away," Rebekah grinned. "No doubt she's teaching Bella everything she knows about her herbs that Bella doesn't already know and gives her confidence boosts on a regular basis."

"But she didn't want to talk about the last time!"

"Give the girl some credit, she wants to have that conversation when we're out of here. This place isn't real, she wants to do it when we're awake. Good girl, in my eyes. She knows how to make you squirm."

"It's not fair," Kol sulked.


	6. Revival part 5

Bella visited every six months, even when she wasn't feeling like it. The safe house with Mary had been a great thing, but it also gave Bella the chance to slip back into old habits as she wasn't constantly on the move anymore. The house was also in the middle of nowhere and it was a long - very long - walk to the nearest village or city.

Bella reluctantly took Hope into the forest as much as possible to give Mary a breather from the toddler, and taught Hope about the flowers and showed her little bits of magic that she could do, innocent little healing spells. They saved a lot of animals over the years. Birds, butterflies, mice, even a deer at some point.

But with just Mary and Hope there, and Myriam and Hayley in the weekends, Bella kept looking forward to seeing Myriam and have some fun with her, to keep Bella from slipping too much. Mary liked Bella enough, as Rebekah predicted, Bella was harmless and Mary liked that. But like Hayley, there was a very sharp edge to Mary. There wasn't a weekend passing where Mary didn't wonder why Bella was being kept around and eventually Bella was so fed up with it that she adjusted the protective bubble around the coffins to only give access to her and Myriam.

The closer they came to having all the ingredients to the cure to Rebekah's curse and Marcel's bites, the more Bella started to feel uneasy. Kol was going to be more than okay and she was going to have to hold a conversation she really did not wished to have. Myriam had gotten her some books about healthy relationships to show that her experience with Edward had been a bad one and how relationships usually worked, but there were no clear directions other than; do not hurt your partner and consent is everything.

But what did love feel like? She could see the devotion Myriam had for Klaus and Hayley's devotion to Hope, but what did it feel like? Was there a clear answer to that? Or wasn't it a feeling at all? Merely feeling at home with your friend, safe, comfortable and was the only difference between friendship and a relationship the intimacy?

Bella couldn't imagine Kol touching her body all over. She was fine with her hands, and arms, and now hugs, but everything else was hers. And maybe Myriam was right, that she had to meet Kol half way, but she didn't feel the need to have intimacy, and Kol had to know that. She wanted to be with him, he was the only man she trusted fully, but that was because of their history together. She was keeping good on her promise of not leaving him, especially now that he was in a fragile state and unable to protect himself, but was that love?

She cared about him, that was all. Was that love? She was going to have to talk to Kol about this, it was why she wanted to wait to have the conversation because she wanted to talk to him in private, not with other people hanging around them, like Rebekah.

Bella was sitting next to Kol's coffin with her book on maths - advanced - when Myriam burst in. "We found the last wolf. We're going to convince her tomorrow. Go tell them the good news," she smiled widely. "After nearly 5 years, we've finally done it, Bella! We can get Klaus back!" She grabbed Bella's box and started to lay out her stones and herbs.

"Or we could just surprise them with a rude awakening," Bella shrugged as she kept reading her math book.

"You don't mean that," Myriam said as she sat down next to her and looked at her. "I know you haven't had to think about your conversation with Kol for the last few years and that once he wakes you know that you're going to have to talk to him about things. I know you're scared, but it will all work out, I promise. And yes, giving them a rude awakening sounds hilarious, but you do know that we've had werewolves on our tail for weeks now, and some vampires. What if we have to wake them in the middle of a fight? Or we're waking them and a fight ensues because we're being ambushed? Better tell them what's going on so they know what's going on."

Bella sighed, knowing that Myriam was right. "What if I send you over, instead?"

"Nope, not going to happen, you're going," Myriam said as she got to her feet and continued to place down Bella's protective circle. "We need happy Originals and a content Mikaelson witch."

She put her book outside the circle and took hold of her pink moonstone. She felt her mind realign, her focus intensified and grounded, and then slipped into the Chambre De Chasse. She got greeted by Freya, who looked surprised to see her. "You're early!"

"I know," Bella smiled as she looked around. "Where is everyone?"

"Oh, we're playing hide and seek," Freya grinned. "I'm the stupid idiot who has to chase after these vampires if I find them, very unfair, I know."

Bella shrugged as she looked around the clearing. "Come out, come out wherever you are! I have news!" she called out and soon enough, all three vampires came running out of the woods. "Hey, look, Freya, you found them all!"

"Ah, do you really have news or are you merely pulling or leg?" Rebekah whined. "I had the best spot."

"We've found the last werewolf. Tomorrow Hayley and Myriam are going to make contact with her and ask for her help. She was very hard to find as she's the only surviving member of her pack. So we're either able to wake you tomorrow or the day after."

"Really?" Rebekah could hardly contain her excitement.

"Yeah, we have everything ready," Bella replied with a nod. "And Myriam wanted me to tell you so you can be aware of the fact that they have been trailed by a group of werewolves and some vampires, so it could be that you're in for a fight when you wake."

"Fighting means blood, I'm in," Kol said as he rubbed his hands in glee. "Go pack your bag, Bella, we're going to Disneyland when we get out!"

"I've been living out of my bag for the last five years, Kol, no need to pack it up," she replied as a matter of factly. "I'll see you when you wake up. With the added threat I'm going where your coffins are going."

Kol wanted to pull Bella into a hug but she disappeared before he could do just so. He looked at his sister, confused. "Did I miss something?"

"I think she's merely nervous, brother," Rebekah said as she pat his back. "You're going to have _the talk_ when you're back in the real world. And please, don't be so forward. Yes, you can be forward and likely need to be but reign in your excitement, okay?" Rebekah turned on her heels, making a little pirouette. "Oh, just imagine… we're going to be able to feed again!" She smiled widely. "Are you going to join me for a little party?"

"Likely," Kol grinned as he put his arm around his little sister. "Disneyland and then St. Tropez?"

"Oh, you do know how to throw a party, brother!"

When Bella came back to see Myriam and Hayley they were already busy with loading up the coffins into the truck to take to the Old Warehouse in Austin, Texas that they had found. It had been abandoned for years and it was the perfect place to work and keep everything they had gathered so far. Bella had made sure that there was a table where Freya could work, too, should she come to.

"We're moving them now?"

"Under the cover of darkness, of course," Hayley said as she lifted Kol's coffin as if it weighed nothing. "Pack your things, princess, we're staying the night."

The following night Bella was witness to how they extracted werewolf venom for the first time in the five years she'd been with Myriam and Hayley and it didn't look too pleasant. However, Keelin seemed to take it like a champ. She sure was brave. Bella wasn't sure if she'd ever do such a thing for someone she didn't know.

She made sure she stayed clear of everyone as she prepared the altar for Freya. She placed the vials of werewolf venom carefully around the bowl, along with a vial of Klaus' blood and tried to ignore Hayley's talking with Keelin. As did Myriam. Myriam was merely keeping an ear out for company.

"We've got company," Myriam scowled after picking up sounds of at least three cars outside the warehouse. "They're tracking her."

Hayley tossed the last vial to Bella, who only barely caught it and scowled. "I'm going to wake Freya and I'll be joining you. Bella, you keep everyone safe inside. Strengthen your protective bubble, or channel that fucking cuddle rock and help Freya." She then grabbed the syringe and plunged it into Freya's chest before running off to make sure nobody would come inside.

Bella eyed Keelin, who was cuffed to the table, before moving to Freya's coffin. Freya gasped for air as she sat up and looked at Bella, puzzled. "Where's Hayley?"

"Outside, Keelin brought some friends," Bella thumbed over her shoulder before helping Freya out of her coffin. "Are you alright?"

"I am weakened, but I will be fine. Do we have everything?" Freya said as she went to the altar, seeing everything splayed out in an organised fashion. "Ah, you studied the spell!"

"To help," Bella replied as she walked over to Freya. "What do you need from me?"

"Time," Freya replied as she smiled weakly at Bella. "Do whatever you need to do to make sure I have time to finish this. We have about an hour before Kol and Elijah wake up and die."

Bella nodded as she took her moonstone from her bag and held it before standing next to Freya. "Channel me if you need it, the moonstone gives me so much power it's ridiculous."

"Good, isn't it?" Freya grinned before she started to focus on the cure to Marcel's bite. "I won't need your power, I need you to keep us safe and make sure that the werewolf doesn't die, she's the last of her line, isn't she?"

Bella nodded as she started to place the dark objects in the pentagram on the ground that she had drawn. When the door flew off its hinges and a bunch of vampires entered, Bella took a deep breath and extended her bubble, pushing the vampires back to the door, but their constant hitting of the bubble was weakening it. It didn't stay up as it should.

"Melt their brains," Freya noted as she moved to place the vials around the pentagram. "Just imagine doing it to all of them, and the same movement and feeling for only one. You could come closer to the pentagram and channel the dark objects a little if you're not confident enough but I think you can do it."

"Why aren't you doing it?" Keelin asked afraid. "Hayley said you're the baddest witch there is."

"And I need all my strength to help my family right now. Bella can do it by herself, she's come a long way in five years," Freya replied confidently and cheered when the first vampire fell, his head exploding. "Overkill but that works! Great job Bella, now the others!"

"But I don't want to kill them!"

"You're going to have to. I'm not immortal like you and neither is Keelin. If I die, so do Elijah and Kol. You have to kill them. They're just vampires. There's more where they come from, and if not, someone will make them anyway."

"Yeah," Myriam grinned as she pulled the heart out of one of the vampires who was still battling Bella's bubble. Myriam was covered in blood and cuts, but she seemed pumped. "See? Easy peasy." Myriam dropped the others quite quickly as well. "Keep it up, Bella, we're so close to reuniting the whole family, something we've worked for for so long. Nearly there."

Bella nodded as she moved back to stand closer to Freya, retracting her bubble just a little to give herself a rest. Freya was breathing heavily as she changed and channeled the dark objects to create a paste to heal Elijah and Kol. More vampires were coming in and Bella just closed her eyes and imagined them falling down as she reached out her hand. If she didn't see them drop, she didn't kill them.

"You are such a wuss," Keelin snorted as she tugged on her bonds. "Free me so I can help you fight."

"Leave her alone," Freya shot at the werewolf before she continued to chant. A few minutes later, she stopped and collected her bowl.

"Did it work?"

"Let's find out," she said as she opened Elijah's coffin and smeared some of the ointment on his forearm. She then opened Kol's coffin to do the same and mentally nudged Rebekah to wake up. She then turned to the charging vampires and collectively made their brains melt. "You can drop the shield now, Bella, we have this."

Bella nodded as she turned to pack up her moonstone. Elijah was the first to rise, and upon hearing the fighting outside, he quickly went outside to help Hayley without saying a word to Freya or Bella. Kol and Rebekah were next, but not even they stopped to thank and greet at least Freya, and ran off, likely to satisfy their hunger, and Bella couldn't help but to feel a bit relieved at that point.

Keelin was talking again and Freya was replying to her, and Bella tuned them out as Myriam walked back in. It was a couple of hours later, at sunrise that they reunited with the previously hungry vampires, even Elijah had done a good feed and Kol was still charging after one of the prisoners on the bus.

Freya was trying to break a cloaking spell but with all the screaming around her she couldn't focus very well. "Is this absolutely necessary?"

"Well, that depends," Rebekah replied. "Do you want us at full strength when we go and get Nik or not?"

"I'm trying to focus here."

"Kol! If you'd please!" Elijah sighed tiredly before the screaming stopped. "Thank you. You were saying, Freya?"

"Klaus is still in New Orleans, I can't exactly pinpoint it unless I'm in the city itself."

Hayley sighed. "That's going to be a problem. I have contacts in New Orleans and they tell me that the place is crawling with vampires with a severe hate towards this family. Whatever we do, we need to do it fast."

Freya nodded. "I wasn't planning on a pub crawl, I don't want to stay longer than we have to but we need to go now."

"Woah. Wait.. wait, we're not doing this today, are we?" Kol said surprised, blinking at his siblings and then looked at Myriam. "This was part of the plan?"

"Hasn't Klaus suffered enough?" Myriam questioned him.

"Yes. And I've died. Twice. I'm not about to give Marcel another shot at a third. Now, I say, we draw that muppet out of town, and when he's gone…."

"I've been away from my daughter long enough. If you're afraid…" Hayley shrugged.

"It's called being sensible. Until Freya can make enough cure with her werewolf hostage, Marcel can basically chew through our bloody throats!"

Elijah rolled the prisoner off of him and got to his feet. Dusting himself off, he spoke quietly. "Enough, we're all in danger. We free Niklaus today. Even if I have to burn that city to the ground."

Seeing as Freya was human, like Bella, Bella kept following her as the vampires kept running around. They went to the bell tower in New Orleans to do another locator spell and located Klaus; he was at the Mikaelson compound, underground. Rebekah was at the cemetery, trying to distract and talk to Marcel while the rest of them went to Rousseau's to gain access to the underground tunnels.

Kol wasn't a particular fan of Josh, who now ran the bar after Camille's death. Josh used to be a good friend of Davina's, and he still believed in her with everything in his being. Such a puppy. Kol 'volunteered' to stay behind to protect the entrance to the tunnel, so Bella decided to stay behind too, since Freya went along with Elijah, Hayley and Myriam to free Klaus.

He hadn't paid much attention to her yet, which was a good thing, and she remained quiet for the most part. This was a Mikaelson operation, and she wasn't one of them. Just linked to one. Kol was drinking a lot, staring at a picture of Davina and Camille as he did.

"Well, here's to nobody dying today," Josh said as he refilled Kol's glass and turned around where he found Bella, quietly sitting in the corner looking out of the window. "Miss?"

"She's with me," Kol growled as he looked at Josh. "You stay away from her."

"She's with you? Then why is she all the way over there?" Josh pointed at Bella, who was now looking at Josh intensely.

"Because she's smart and is giving me, and my family, the space we need right now to get our brother and leave. I can't wait to leave this filthy city behind," he replied as he knocked back his drink before snatching Josh' phone out of his hands as he received a text message. "Perhaps you could explain what "Teutoburg" means." Kol pushed Josh against the bar.

"Look, I'm really not a part of this…" Josh stammered.

"Of course you are, especially when you're receiving coded messages from the man that's holding my brother captive. Now listen very carefully. If something has happened to my sister, or if something is about to happen to another member of my family, this city and everyone in it will burn: you, your boyfriend, your friends, this bar, your home! Shall I continue? Now, tell me what "Teutoburg" means."

Josh huffed. "You should know your history better than I do!"

"Don't test me," Kol said angrily, his vampire face bleeding out. "Speak."

He sighed as he ran his hand through his hair. "It's a battle where the bad guys caught the good guys off guard. Marcel is warning me that you're all here so that I can spread word to the rest of our guys."

"So you can keep us busy and Marcel can kill us," Kol nodded as the idea clicked in his head. Snapping Josh' neck, he leaned him against the bar. "Bella, I want you to stay here and keep an eye out, I'm going to find Rebekah and get her to the rendez-vous point."

"What about me?"

"We're not returning."

"Exactly, then what about me, Kol? You want to leave me here in New Orleans while you're leaving?" Bella got to her feet as she looked at him, hurt. "I've spent the last five years looking after you, performing magic that I'm still afraid of to keep you safe and helped Myriam and Hayley to find a cure for you. Now that you're awake you don't need me anymore and thus you're leaving me behind?" She was feeling all the feelings she didn't feel comfortable feeling. Anger. Hurt. The feeling of being able to hurt someone.

"I don't have time for this discussion right now, Bella," he snapped at her.

"Don't you think I know that? It's the reason I've been following you around quietly, but you're not going to leave me behind!" Bella was fighting the urge to give Kol a blinding headache. "Take me with you."

"I need to get to my sister."

"Fine," Bella replied as she walked towards the door. "But I'm not staying here. I'll see you two at the drainage pipe," she slammed the door of Rousseau's shut and marched away. She knew a shortcut.

For a moment there, Kol had to compose himself. Why was she so angry with him? What a spitfire! How exciting! No, his sister was more important right now. He bolted out of the bar and headed to the cemetery.

Bella waited for what had been 15 minutes when Kol and Rebekah showed up in a car, Rebekah with some holes in her clothes and Kol yet again bloodied, but she was still angry with him for wanting to leave her behind at Rousseau's.

"Bella, what's wrong?" Rebekah asked worried. "Did something happen?"

"He wanted to leave me in New Orleans while you run off," Bella replied as she angrily looked at Kol. "I think I deserved better than that."

"You wanker!" Rebekah hit her brother with full force on the arm. "New Orleans as it is right now is no place for her! And we are going to Disneyland with the three of us, remember?"

"I can't look after her with all of this going on, Rebekah! One bite from Marcel and we're both toast!" Kol countered angrily.

"She doesn't need looking after, she's been keeping herself out of harm's way since we've returned and we didn't even hear her speak, to allow us to go about our business. No more ditching people because we're scared, Kol," Rebekah hit him again. "And you two can have your talk now that we have to wait for Myriam and the rest of our siblings to arrive with Nik. Talk. I'll be over there," she said as she pointed to the nearest tree.

"And you'll still hear our conversation."

"Yes, because you're an idiot," Rebekah countered as she turned her back to him and headed to the tree, looking down into the drainage pipe.

"You can't force us to talk, Beks," Kol sighed as he leaned against one of the rocks and looked at Bella. "This isn't really the place to talk, is it?"

"I'm too angry to talk about what we were going to talk about now," Bella said as she crossed her arms over her chest, gently clawing her arms in aggravation. "You didn't even apologize for wanting to leave me behind. I understand that your mind is in war-mode and that you're itching to get away from your siblings after 5 years in Freya's beige world, but that doesn't mean that you can be mean to me."

Kol really liked this Bella. She was still Bella, but with a sharp edge to her whole being now. Then again, she was with Myriam for five long years and of course with that cunt Hayley. He shouldn't be surprised, really. Had she become a master of hiding her true self or was this confidence boost the exact thing that she needed to work with her quirks? And she was right. He hated it, but she was right. His fear of dying was running amok in his mind and he couldn't stop it, could she? "I'm sorry, darling, I didn't actually stop and think…"

"You never stop and think," Bella let go of her arms, but held onto one with one hand, pulling it close against her. "And that's fine, but you need to realize that it's not nice."

That sounded more like the Bella he knew and loved. He took a deep breath and nodded. "Again, I am sorry."

"You're forgiven," Bella replied, relaxing her stance a little. "And you're right, this is not the time or place to have our conversation. I'm certain a moment will pop up in the future."

"Ah! Come on! I wanted to have some entertainment!" Rebekah whined as she shot off another text message to Elijah. She was getting impatient and wanted to leave. She was very close to just walk into the pipe and get everyone out herself.

"No, it's something between me and Bella," Kol told her, a playful smile on his lips. "But not to worry sister, when we get out of here, we are definitely going to Disneyland."

When the family was reunited and just about to get into the car, Marcel showed up with a bunch of vampires and Bella, as a safety precaution, put up a minor version of her barrier spell to protect everyone at least long enough for Freya to give them all a brainmelt. However, Marcel was generous enough for allowing them all to leave, but as soon as Bella passed him to get into the car, he stopped her for a moment. "These people will ruin you."

"I'm already ruined, Marcel. I have been ruined since the day I was born, but thank you for your concern," she smiled kindly at him. The monster who made Kol's life a living hell. "Thank you for allowing us passage out of town."

"Don't come back later and tell me that I was right, okay?" he spoke kindly, and Bella was confused for a moment before remembering that Marcel, like Kol, loved his witches and Davina had looked like Bella.

"I won't, because you're wrong," she moved away from him and got into the car, squeezing herself in to sit next to Kol. "Creep," she muttered, causing Myriam to laugh loud as she had her arms around Klaus.

They drove back to Texas, to their safehouse, and Bella, for the first time in five years, went to sleep in a real bed as the siblings caught up with each other. Bella was tired, and the bed felt good. She hadn't mind her nest, not at all, it was what made her feel closer to Kol and to where she needed to be to protect them, but a bed was nice now that he was back.

Peace, blissful peace.

She slept in for most of the day, only to be roused from her bed by Kol. "Wake up, silly," he smiled at her. "I'm going for a feed and arrange us a car. You, Rebekah and I are leaving."

"We are?" Bella asked sleepily. "Don't you want to spend more time with your family?"

"I've had enough of my family to last a long time, darling. We're stuck in an endless cycle of Paranoia, deceit and violence and Beks and I want to leave. Now." He pulled the sheets off of her and blinked. "Why are you still fully dressed?"

"Oh," Bella shrugged as she pushed her hair out of her face. "In case I needed to do something to protect you- which is silly because I don't have to be vigilant anymore…" She sat up and sighed. "I'll take a shower and change my clothes."

"Don't pack anything, we'll buy what we need," he gently squeezed her shoulder before leaving her alone to fully wake up and do as what she had said.

Ten minutes later, Bella walked into the kitchen and quietly made herself a sandwich. She heard some hushed voices in the house, but the one she liked to hear was Myriam's. She was talking to Mary and Bella decided to say goodbye to her. "Sorry to interrupt," Bella said as she turned the corner. "I just came to say goodbye. Kol is coming back soon to come and get me and Rebekah."

"Good," Myriam smiled as she pulled Bella into a hug. "Don't let that jerk get away with shit, you hear me? Make him sweat. Don't have a serious talk with Rebekah around."

"I know," Bella smiled as she returned the hug. "Kol told me not to pack anything, but I took a book, just in case."

"On what?"

Bella huffed as she squirmed in Myriam's hold. "Biology."

"You're going away to have fun, I suspected you to have a trashy romance novel instead," Myriam let go of the girl and shook her head. "Enjoy yourself, Bella, you've earned it."

"But you've earned it too!"

"I know, and that's why I'm staying right here, with my man and his child." Myriam looked outside the window and rolled her eyes as she saw what car was coming to the house. She pulled a hair tie out of her pocket and handed it to Bella. "He found himself a convertible."

"No!" Bella gasped. "He drives like an idiot! A convertible isn't safe!"

"You better buckle up, honey," Mary laughed, glad to see at least two Mikaelsons leave the property. She had been hesitant on letting Bella go, but Myriam managed to convince her that this was a good thing, that Bella actually wanted to leave, too. While Mary hadn't been a fan of Bella, like Hayley, she had taken a liking to her at some point and believed the girl was too unstable to hang out with vampires. Hell, all vampires were bad news.

Rebekah came to get Bella from inside the house, and just like that, they were gone. Bella figured out that being with the two youngest siblings meant that sleep would come to you when dead. They liked to party and then some. It was hard to do a pub crawl in Disneyland, but they mostly went there for the fluff and fun, but a big city was nearby so after the park closed, they went on to party in that city.

While Rebekah was flirting with everyone and anyone, Kol didn't, for which Bella was grateful. She wasn't quite sure if she'd like it if he'd try to flirt with other women. Granted, he certainly didn't get any lack of female attention, which he conveniently took advantage of by feeding on them. Bella usually hung out in one of the corners near the door, the clubs and pubs were too loud, too smelly and not something she was particularly interested in, but she was glad that Kol and Rebekah were getting five years of fake blood, fake alcohol and fake everything out of their system this way.

After spending a week in Disneyland, they went to France, to the coast. Bella hadn't flown before and thought it was all very daunting and scary, but it wasn't that bad. She had expected the plane to be filled to the brim, much like a bus, as that's what she was taught by watching tv or reading magazines. That it would smell horribly and that it'd be noisy with the amount of people onboard, but surprisingly, it were just her and Kol and Rebekah on the plane, and it didn't look like a bus, more like a small apartment. Very comfortable and Bella took the time to nap and recharge her batteries.

France was utterly beautiful. The warm climate was something Bella could really find herself in and Rebekah took her shopping. A lot. Bella went swimming in the ocean while Rebekah and Kol slept off their blood rush on the beach and she had a great time. She also liked the fact that while her French was rusty and old fashioned, she could still hold a decent conversation in the language, as she grew up speaking both English and French. It was interesting to learn new words, and discover how much the language had changed over the years. Then again, the French spoken in New Orleans was an entity on its own, impure, compared to the French in France.

Bella was texting Myriam a lot, keeping her up to date with what they were doing and sending pictures of the area, and Myriam was quite jealous of Bella's surroundings. She also encouraged Bella to be more a part of Rebekah and Kol's partying behaviour, dance on the music and have some alcohol for liquid courage.

It took Bella a couple of weeks to actually feel courageous enough to do just that, and she found it fun to have a girl's day of pampering at the spa and then followed by the shopping for clothes with Rebekah after she said she wanted to try to be more like the rest of the people around them in the clubs. Not to stick out so much.

Because even though while Bella wasn't a part of the party crowd, she stood out because she wasn't a part of the party crowd and a lot of guys tried to get her onto the dancefloor. Which usually resulted in Kol taking a bite out of those poor men or to compel them to leave. So maybe, just maybe, this would help. She couldn't even dance, but Rebekah assured her that that would come when she'd start to drink.

Kol was a little skeptical about this idea, if Bella felt the need to change her behaviour as to keep up with him and Rebekah, wasn't it better for them to slow down and find other means of having fun? He hadn't seen Bella drink before and had no idea what kind of drunk she was. Despite her life being linked to his, she was still so very human, anything could happen. Of course, Rebekah disagreed with him and told him that if this was a new experience for her, she would have to experience it at least once and then decide if it was a good idea or not. She had two Original vampires by her side, what was the worst that could happen?

Kol hated his sister. When she and Bella joined him outside to go to the club that night, he could tell that she had _helped_ Bella with looking pretty. Nothing over the top or overboard, but perfect. The skirt of her dress a little shorter than Bella was used to, the dress revealing just a little bit more than usual. Rebekah swatted Bella's hand whenever she wanted to scratch her cheek because of the make-up she was wearing. Adorable. And super hot. He hated his sister. Above all, he hated Myriam for encouraging this.

"Well?" Rebekah asked playfully. "Doesn't she look amazing?"

"Careful, Bekah," Kol muttered under his breath as he fought the urge to put his coat around Bella's bare shoulders and opted for an arm around her instead. "Are you ready for this, Bella?"

"Yep!" Bella smiled up to him, liking his arm around her already. Safe. She was scared shitless, but what was the worst that could happen? Kol and Rebekah had a high tolerance for alcohol and would no doubt look after her. She had to admit, she was a little bit nervous but she couldn't, and wouldn't, allow it to stop her from having a new experience.

"See, it's going to be alright," Rebekah looped her arm through Kol's free arm and pulled the other two along to the club she had picked out. One that she knew that didn't have a lot of vampires frequenting. Unknown to Bella, they had been partying with some vampires of Elijah's sireline, the younger generation was a lot more tolerable than those nasty Strix. Of course, just to annoy their brother, an occasional kill was the sign of anarchy. That's what she and Kol were, the anarchists of the family. Hell yeah. "We'll start by having a few drinks at the bar, start things slow. The music isn't as loud, but still danceable." She then grinned as she looked at Kol. "Who knows? We might end up dancing on top of the bar!"

"No!" Bella gasped. "Please no!"

"Myriam would do it," Rebekah pointed out.

"I won't!"

"Stop scaring Bella, sister, she has her brave boots on, don't ruin the experience by scaring her," Kol gently squeezed Bella's shoulder. "It'll be interesting to see the effect of alcohol on you, Bella. I promise, I shall remain a gentleman to you."

"And not to everyone else who will try to get into your pants," Rebekah grinned. This was going to be an interesting experience indeed. She had chosen a place where they played mostly 80s and 90s songs, she loved that kind of music after Stefan had introduced her to it - despite of the reasons he did, and she knew that Kol didn't mind that kind of music either. It was a more relaxed vibe than all those other clubs with loud music and bass drops. Saint Tropez had everything for the tourists, Rebekah loved this place.

The place wasn't too far away, and they settled in a booth with Rebekah ordering all the drinks on the menu for Bella to try and taste. If Bella didn't like it, she or Kol would, most definitely. Like a girl of her own heart, Bella prefered the Appletini. Sure, Rebekah drank bourbon to stave off hunger because of its high alcohol contents, but mixed drinks where her go-to drinks when out partying. And for Bella it was going to turn out a very deceiving drink; the alcohol was barely to be tasted and after three drinks, her skin was already flushing red and Bella was giggling because of a joke that Kol had told her half an hour earlier.

Kol was showing Bella some funny pictures on his phone that he had found online, and she was laughing her cute little ass off. "Do you want to dance, Bella?" He asked when a slow song came up. "Get you moving a little?"

"Yes, as long as you hold me. I don't think I can stand," she said as she looked thoughtfully and got to her feet. "Oh, I can still stand. I'm good."

He took her hand and pulled her with him to the dance floor before gently holding her and swayed a little on his feet. "See, dancing is fun."

"Hmm," Bella hummed as she took a few steps closer to him and put her arms around him. "You're right."

Kol was annoyed when Rebekah took a picture of them, no doubt to send off to Myriam as proof that Bella was drunk. "You okay, darling?" he asked Bella as he put his hands a bit lower on her body to make sure she remained upright.

"I like the taste of the drink," Bella replied as she thought hard for the correct words. "I don't like how it turns off my brain." She looked up to him as if she needed to explain herself. "I mean, imagine my brain being a row of closets and they're all shut most of the time. Some are slightly ajar, but most of them are shut."

"Right…"

"Now most of them are wide open and I think that it won't take much for me to behave not like me. The control lever is dissolving."

"I'm sure you'll be alright, darling," he smiled at her and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Are you enjoying yourself?"

"I like this music and I like you and that drink is good, I'm happy. Because you're here with me," she sighed before she started to cry without any warning whatsoever. "You're the only one I feel truly safe with, always have," she said with a strained voice as tears ran down her cheeks. "It hurt so much when you started to ignore me and then when I was put away by the family. And when you came to get me out, I know I was angry with you but that was because I knew I was safe there, safe from you hurting my feelings. And you found me Edward. And he hurt… and…"

"Shh," Kol pulled her closer and escorted her off the dancefloor. She wasn't talking loud or anything, he was glad he could hear her clearly with his hearing. She was an emotional drunk. Of course she was. He walked back to the booth and pulled her onto his lap, his arms around her as she continued to sob against his shoulder. Her makeup running and staining his shirt.

"And then when I asked you to kill me because I couldn't take it anymore, I was relieved that you wanted to do that for me, despite your protests. And- And I didn't want to come back with you after you died because I knew you were going to hurt me. Not physically but… inside. Deep inside," she said as she pointed at her heart. "And you did. Many times. And I'm stupid because I'm still here with you. We're okay now, but you wanted to leave me in New Orleans, what's stopping you from running away now? Or leaving me behind?"

Oh, he didn't want to have this conversation while she was drunk, she may not remember their conversation when this was all over. "Remember I said I wanted to talk to you about missed opportunities? Missed chances?" He asked in a calm, soothing voice close to her ear as the bar still bustled with people around them.

"I'm not doing relationships, Kol, I'll only get hurt or I have to touch and… be touched and… You scared me when you said that like that."

"And I am sorry, but forget what I said about that because we're clearly touching now and you have no objections."

"Because I like being touched by you, you make me feel safe. But you keep hurting me by not wanting me!"

"That's what I was talking about, darling," he smiled at her. "I do want you and to be with you. I went looking for companionship in all the wrong places when you were always there back then. And then when I saw you with the Ancestors… Bella… I knew. I just knew. And yet, I went back to Davina because off that bloody spell of hers and my skewed sense of loyalty."

"So you're not going to leave me behind anymore?" She asked with a small voice as she looked up at him. "And you're not going to hate me for not really understanding where to go from here?"

"I'm not going to leave you behind anymore. Nor pawn you off to someone else. Nor put us in danger. You and me are going to have a fun life from now on, I promise. I'm not one of the most patient people around, but I'm sure going to try my best for you." He kissed the top of her head and was glad that she had stopped sobbing. Instead, her tears had made way for a big, bright smile. "Look at that, so much better than tears," he said as he cleaned her face with his shirt.

"My head's swimming, I think it has a pool and the door opened," Bella remarked as she kept looking at him. "Is that normal?"

"Yes it is," he laughed and gently caressed her hair out of her face. "Are you feeling better, darling?"

"I'm not sad anymore," she sighed happily as she moved a bit to get more comfortable. "And I am comfortable."

"More drinks?"

"Can I have more? I think I have had too many already, I mean… I was crying and sad and that was bad, because it should have stayed inside. It was wrong of me."

"Oh, no it wasn't darling, it's great to have an insight on your inner turmoil and I feel fortunate that you shared your thoughts and feelings with me," he replied as he nodded at Rebekah for more drinks. "And now that's out of your system, I think you're going to want at least one more so we can continue to party and be very happy."

"I am already very happy."


	7. Revival part 6

Kol still didn't know whether or not he should feel guilty for feeding Bella alcohol and get her drunk. He hadn't expected her to be an emotional drunk and the emotional sludge that she had dumped on him had taken him by surprise, but it had also been an eyeopener. She did like him the way that he liked her, it was merely difficult for her to put it into words or to share.

And even the thought of feeling guilty about him made him feel sick to his stomach and he felt he had to kill something in order to balance things out every time he thought about his guilt. Love was stupid, but oh so good. Guilt should be a non-existent thing. He never felt guilt, only when it came to Bella. All the mistakes he had made in the past, all the little things he was doing now that Bella didn't particularly liked…

And, per her request, nothing changed between them. He was still having fun with her and honest, open, as that worked well with her. Rebekah, of course, made sure she made herself scarce and hung around with some vampires of Elijah's line. Saint-Tropez was quiet enough for Bella to feel extremely comfortable and transient enough for all the vampires to hold almost a daily feast.

To be honest, he wasn't missing anything now that he choose to spend more time with Bella outside of bars. She didn't want to get drunk ever again, she had thought of it as an horrible, yet purging experience that she wouldn't want to revisit. Instead, they went out for walks a lot when it was dark and listen to the sea or the nocturnal animals and strangely enough, he liked it. It calmed him more than anything he had tried before.

And it sucked. But he also liked the feeling of serenity and calmness and Bella was the only person who could give it to him, as she had done in the past. And yes, Rebekah teased him mercilessly about his infatuation, and he didn't even get angry about it.

It was just the guilt that was eating him up sometimes.

It was a couple of weeks after Bella's drunk emotion spill when he decided to take her to Frejus for a few days for a change of scenery, the zoo and the amusement park were a great thing to visit, a lot of entertainment and Bella couldn't believe her eyes nor hide her excitement when he took her to the Veterinary Clinic of the city to learn things first hand, ahead of her education.

She knew her biology well enough. 'Still not as advanced as my maths but I take it one subject at the time,' as she said and she was so happy after the long day of working with Dr. Emily DuMee whom he had compelled to answer any question Bella might have with patience and grace and Bella was simply soaking up the information as she cared for the animals.

She had promised not to use her magic because it was basically cheating, but when someone brought in a dog that was near death due to a road accident, she couldn't help but intervene as she met them in the waiting area. Of course, Kol had to compel everyone around them that they didn't see anything, but her heart was big and he was so proud of her, and doing this was another step for her on the self confidence ladder. She wanted to become a vet and she was going to be an amazing one at that!

A couple of days later, they met up with Rebekah in Monte Carlo in a fancy club run by Elijah's vampires, with EDM music, and a lot of Elijah's vampires for a feast. Bella had found a quiet spot in one of the corners where Kol could keep an eye on her, but she was the one who told him to enjoy himself, not to hide his true nature and to have fun with it. And he had fun with it, although chatting up the ladies for a bite wasn't as enjoyable to him as it had been in the past. All he could think of was Bella, who was technically his eternal source of blood but hadn't fed on since the last time he did out of necessity.

Stuck up pricks or not, some of Elijah's vampires were quite alright, especially those in France. They were more hedonistic and fair, apart from those from Elijah's elite little group The Strix. Rebekah was looking for love, of course, with one of said vampires and Kol had just snacked on a brunette girl at the bar, not even looked at her face, he was there for the blood, he already had his girl in the corner watching him. Oh, yeah, he felt her eyes on him. One of these days he was going to try to touch her differently than he usually did. Netflix and chill. Oh yeah. He absolutely loved this era!

However, his thoughts quickly came to a halt when every vampire around them started to fall. Kol's rainbows and sunshine thoughts made way for worry and dark clouds. If these vampires had fallen, that meant that something had happened in New Orleans to Elijah. He dropped the vampire he had caught and looked around, confused and not quite sure what the hell was going on. He quickly looked at Bella, but she was already on her way to Kol, her heart beating faster, she was scared.

As she ducked into his arms, Rebekah spoke. "I haven't seen vampires die like this since…" the memory made her sad, and she had to swallow hard. "... you were killed."

"And my entire sireline died with me," he said breathlessly as he kept a protective arm around Bella.

"Elijah… Kol, we need to go back, now."

During their flight back home, Klaus informed them all about what happened over the phone. How there was a new ancient threat in New Orleans and how she had killed Elijah to get the power she needed to resurrect herself. 'But not to worry, Freya trapped Elijah's soul in that pendant of hers and we can resurrect our brother without any trouble!' Somehow Kol didn't feel reassured by that. Rebekah couldn't believe her brother's sunny disposition either. He was far too optimistic by this.

Bella thought it was humorous how the entire family was on the warpath, they had barely even landed and Rebekah, Kol and Klaus went off to find a weapon that could kill them all that had apparently been created by this new enemy, The Hollow. Bella knew exactly what and who the Hollow was, and that they were going to need the Ancestors to help defeat it. She could feel that they had already fixed what had been broken. Bella could feel the pull of the Ancestors to come and talk to them. To be the guide of the new Harvest girls, and frankly, she didn't want to.

While everyone was busy doing what they did best, Bella decided to go anyway, and hear the Ancestors out. They couldn't hurt her while she was alive, they wouldn't dare. While she was still weak compared to the witches they liked to use as their pet, she had become more resourceful in the last five years, and yes, she didn't go without her moonstone in her pocket.

If Kol knew she was going to talk to the Ancestors by herself, he'd be pissed. She knew this.

She was greeted by two of the Harvest girls, Steph and Amy. "We do not allow you entrance into our domain," Steph said as she crossed her arms over her chest. There was a boundary spell cast over the tomb, so Bella couldn't enter anyway. "But you can talk to the Ancestors through us."

"You forget that I've been your Ancestor for over a century until five years ago and that they want me to guide you?" Bella countered as she put her hand in her pocket to fumble her moonstone for safety.

"It's time for your return."

"Why? All I did was hide and stay out of their way, my power added nothing to theirs."

"You're running with vampires, even aided the Mikaelsons in their return. The Ancestors don't like vampires."

"I know that, but your precious Ancestors were also the cause of the creation of the beast that is now Marcel Gerard. They had dealings with Lucien Castle, played him like a fiddle to do their bidding. Who's going to make sure Marcel stays in check and doesn't go on a rampage again?" Bella countered and shook her head. "The secrets of the Ancestors are safe with me. I retained all my memories from my time with them and I have not used any of that information for my benefit. I am only back in New Orleans to help the Mikaelsons defeat the Hollow, what are the Ancestors going to do about it?"

"Leave that to us," Amy said as she moved forward. "We have created a Dark Object that will sever your life from that of Kol Mikaelson and then we can help you rejoin the Ancestors."

Bella threw up a boundary spell of her own, freezing the two witches in place. "I am not going to rejoin those nutjobs and have my soul shredded for running with vampires and for escaping the Ancestors in the first place."

"But I thought you wanted to die?" A new voice spoke, and Bella turned to see who was joining them. Not one of the Harvest girls, that was for sure. There was a power coming off of this girl that Bella realized that this was the Hollow made flesh. "You're only still here because you're linked to Kol Mikaelson."

"I've been dealing with that feeling for the last five years, yes," Bella replied as she cocked her head. "Are you The Hollow?"

"Let's talk," she smiled as she put an arm around Bella to start leading her away from the Harvest girls. "I can help you with your predicament, _if_ you do something for me. I have a power source that is now vulnerable. Now I know, and I feel, that you're not powerful enough to do many things, but as you said, The Mikaelsons are going to do everything in their power to destroy me. I am not a bad person, Bella, I like power, sure, but I'm also doing great things with that power. I help those who are loyal to me. I can sever your link to Kol Mikaelson and you can do with your life was you please. You can live out your days, become an old lady with cats, or, you can end your own life."

Bella had already decided that living wasn't such a bad thing, especially now that she had Kol and his family to be with. She was being looked after and she looked after them. It seemed that the Hollow wasn't picking up on that, which was quite interesting as nobody had ever managed to read her mind until she was dead. "Why me?"

"Because the Mikaelsons love you. They wouldn't do anything to hurt you and I need you to protect something that's mine while I find a way to deal with them."

"I'm not going to screw them over," Bella shot at her. "You leave them alone and they will leave you alone. Don't go after the kid, either, because they will keep coming."

"But Hope… she's nothing like I've seen in my entire existence. I want her."

"Promise me you will allow the Mikaelsons, all of them, to leave New Orleans safely and I will do as you ask. If you have the power to sever the link between myself and Kol so that I can die, then surely you'll have the power to turn me into something more powerful than Hope to do your bidding."

Oh, this was incredibly stupid. But if she truly had some sort of totem and Bella would bring it to the Mikaelsons, surely it would help them destroy the Hollow. She could play along, for now. As long as nobody died. Anything that could help the Mikaelsons to get rid of the Hollow was a good thing, even if Bella had to sacrifice herself for it, because even if she'd be mortal again, at least she knew that she'd be with Kol until she'd die.

"This was not what I had imagined," the Hollow sneered as she nearly ripped off Bella's neck from pulling her against her so tightly. "But you are correct, I could make you a powerful being to do my bidding and leave the child alone until she's a little bit older."

"That's not-"

"Take it or leave it, honey," she replied as she let go of Bella. "Deal?"

"Fine…" Bella sighed, shaking her head. The Hollow gave Bella the address of the home she kept it in for now, and went on her way, but not before the link was severed completely.

"Don't forget, Bella, you're mortal now. Don't allow the Mikaelsons to kill you, or anyone else for that matter, you have a totem to protect," the Hollow called after her. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Bella sent a text message to Kol with the address where to meet her. Truth be told, she was scared now. She _could_ die and that meant that she wouldn't have a future with Kol, because she was mortal now. However, she hoped that he wouldn't be angry with her for doing this, that he'd see that what she was doing was a good, helpful thing, and that hopefully, everything was going to be alright.

She found the glowing ball exactly where the Hollow said it was, and not even a second later, Kol found her. "What's going on?"

"I did something…" she hesitated as she met his eyes. "And you're probably going to get mad and you're going to freak out and everything, but I saw a chance to help and I took it…"

He didn't like where this was going. Hadn't she been at the Compound all this time? "What did you do?"

Bella let out a breath as she kept looking at him. "I went to LaFayette because the Ancestors wanted to speak to me…"

"Bella!"

"And instead I had to speak to the two Harvest girls. They want me back. Likely to punish me for running with vampires and helping you and escaping in the first place."

"That's not going to happen."

"I know," she smiled at him. "I told them that, too. I'm not going back and I am certainly not going to allow them to shred my soul into a million pieces and make me leave. However… the Hollow was there too."

"That bitch found me and thought she could bribe me with dangling a resurrected Davina in front of me, fat chance. I left," he said bitterly.

"Did you at least hear her out as to why she needed you?"

"Of course not," he huffed.

"I did," she said as she held up the glowing totem. "This is her protection, her totem. She wanted it to be safe."

Kol looked at the object and then back at Bella, he was getting worried now. "What did she offer you?"

"Something I no longer wanted, but she can't read my mind so she believed it was something I still wanted… but that's not important. The important thing is is that you can destroy this and destroy her, save the city and save Hope."

"Bella."

"She severed our link, I am mortal again," she said softly as she looked at him. "And that's alright, if that's the price to pay for getting you this thing, then so be it. I don't care if she kills me for betraying her, I want you to be safe."

"And I want _you_ to be safe," he said as he pulled her into his arms. "You silly girl, you should have let us handle this…" While he was happy to hear that she no longer wanted to die, to be mortal as it meant that she'd stick around with him, it hurt to know that she was mortal now. And this act of _kindness_ could either make Nik very happy or he'd end up killing her. "Freya is doing a locator spell on the Hollow, she suspected that she had an object to her." God, this had been one stupid move by her.

"She won't be able to find me, I cloaked us thoroughly," Bella said as she placed the glowing item on a side table in the house they were in. "Perks of having studied her magic for the last five years, I suppose," she added with half a shrug and then moved into Kol's arms again. "But can we talk? My new found mortality is messing with my brain right now and I don't know what to do…"

If it were up to him, he'd feed her his blood and kill her so that she'd come back to him. But she had made it clear in the past that she didn't want a relationship and the most touching they had done was shared through hugs or moments like these, where she hid in his arms. "I don't want you to leave me, Bella. I don't want you to die."

"I don't want to, either," she smiled up at him. "I swear, I don't. But whereas I thought we had all the time in the world for me to grow into things - a relationship, it's now gone. And I'm not sure if I want to become a vampire, either."

"Why not?"

"I'd lose my magic and I'd lose the vision I had to become a vet who healed with magic…"

"But darling, Myriam is still a healer too, she's a vampire."

"It's her knowledge of herbs that makes her fantastic. And I know my magic is nothing special, but what I did in that animal hospital in France… it was beautiful," she then sighed. "But I also know that I'm not capable of protecting myself, and that being immortal helped a lot with my self confidence in magic. I couldn't die, if I did something wrong then it would be alright and now it'd have consequences."

"You want to try to link yourself to me again through magic? Bella, it was an accident you didn't plan on happening. You won't be able to replicate that because there were other powers at play at the time, too," he gently pushed her hair out of her face and kissed her forehead. "Darling, I do want to have more time with you and nothing makes me happier for you to say you want the same. Take my blood, just for safety. Should you turn, you don't have to hurt other people to get fed. We usually drink from blood bags anyway."

"I'll be the worst vampire ever, and even more incapable of protecting myself," Bella scowled.

"You'll be stronger and more durable and if you don't want to fight, that's fine with me, darling. I'll protect you. Always." Maybe, just maybe, her turning would have even more positive effects. How would a brain like hers deal with heightened feelings and emotions? "It'll be difficult to give up on your magic, but you are smart and resourceful. Your knowledge of stones and herbs is vast and you can still be a kickass vet later if you want to. I'd really like for you to stick around awhile longer. With me. Forever, if possible."

"But I'm broken."

"To me, you are perfect," he said before getting distracted by a phone call from his sister Rebekah, informing him that Freya had found the totem and that she was going to find and destroy it while Freya and Hayley were going after the Hollow themselves. Kol told her not to bother and that the item would come to the compound shortly. He needed to take care of other things first. "So, how about it, darling?"

"You sure there's no other way?"

"Not one that I can think of quickly and I'd feel more at ease with my blood inside of you when we go and see the siblings with the Hollow's trinket."

"Are you mad at me?"

Yes. No. Yes. This was stupid. "No, of course not," he smiled at her and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You do what you always do, think with your heart first, then realize the consequences later. And that's alright. Darling, being a vampire isn't all that bad. Trust me. You'll find things you'll enjoy as much as magic and in a way, you can still practise some magic with our Dark Objects." _But please, drink my blood so that when Nik does kill you in a fit of rage, you'll come back to me_ , he added in silence.

Bella nodded, and the moment she did, he bit into his hand and made her drink. She didn't like blood, he knew this, and he also knew that that was going to change should she transition into a vampire. Unchartered territories, and he hoped that she wouldn't turn out to be a psycho vampire but remained her quirky, usual self. Kol bought her a coffee on the way to the Compound to get rid of that coppery taste while she carried the totem around.

"Don't bother!" Klaus shot at his brother. "Don't bother?!" He was so angry that the veins were popping in his forehead. "What are you playing at, brother!"

Kol moved Bella behind him and watched his brother rage for a good minute or so. "Please let me know when you're done so I can explain."

"Hey! Quiet!" Myriam called from the balcony upstairs. "Hope has just fallen asleep!" She then looked at Bella and noticed that something was different. She hopped down to the ground level and sniffed Bella. Sure, Kol's scent was all over the girl, as it should, but there was a small trace of Kol's blood on her lips, masked by the coffee she had drank after. "Why do you have Kol's blood inside of you when you don't need it? Did you two have sex?" She sniffed Bella again. "No, that's not it." She then noticed something glowing in the inside of Bella's coat and took it. "Oh. Oh…" her heart broke. What did she do now? "Bella, what did you do to obtain this?"

"She made a deal with the Hollow, who granted Bella's last known wish. Mortality so she can die again," Kol said as he kept Bella behind him, his eyes firmly locked onto his brother's. "Of course, that hasn't been the case in quite some time, so Bella took advantage of it and obtained us the totem for us to destroy so that Freya and Hayley can kill the Hollow."

"A deal with the Hollow?" Klaus breezed as he pulled his brother away from Bella and nudged his girlfriend away from the girl as well. "Are you absolutely out of your mind? Have you completely lost your remaining marbles? No doubt that the wretched wench put a tracking spell on you to make sure you didn't bring _that_ to us. You have put us all in danger!"

"Klaus, control yourself," Myriam said kindly, still holding the totem as she tried to move between Bella and her hybrid again. "You can't fault Bella for having good intentions."

"Good intentions?!" Klaus spat. "She's endangering us all!" He was pulled away from Bella by Kol, flying across the courtyard, but landing safely. On his sprint back to the girl, he grabbed a knife and stabbed Bella in the heart before snapping her neck.

"That's a bit overkill, don't you think?" Kol growled as he caught Bella's limp body and looked at his brother.

Klaus pulled the knife out of Bella and ran his finger over the blade, tasting the girl's blood as he shrugged. "Overkill? I think not. I could have ripped off all of her limbs, now that would have been overkill," he said calmly. "It had to be convincing, Kol, you told me that it was possible that the Hollow had spelled her or was keeping an eye on her from afar."

"I'd rather had her death be less violent," Kol chided his brother before carefully lifting Bella up. It was strange to hold her like this again. Dead. Truly dead. The first time he had killed her, it had been a mercy killing, and now, she died at the hands of his brother because _it had to look convincing_. "I swear, if she comes out of this and she's wild and deranged, I'm blaming you," he said before taking Bella's body upstairs and he was going to hold a vigil next to her until she'd wake up in transition.

Myriam sighed as she bounced the totem up and down in the palm of her hand. "Kol's right, you could have handled that differently."

"Can you destroy that thing or not?" Klaus shot at her, ignoring her words. Myriam and Bella had become very close friends over the years, it came as no surprise to him that she was choosing Bella's side.

"Temper, temper," Myriam said in a singsong voice before making her way over to the bowl to start destroying the totem with the items Freya had left for her.


	8. Revival part 7

Bella blissfully slept through everything. She didn't experience the destruction of the Hollow, nor Hope's possession by the Hollow, and she didn't have to hear the talks of how they were discussing Vincent's plan to defeat the Hollow for once and for all, how it'd tear the family apart.

Had it been up to Kol, he would have left New Orleans after they had found the totem, but that was under the assumption of _them_ finding it, and not Bella. Not his Bella who sacrificed herself, once again, to try and make life good again for him and his family. She never fully understood that it wasn't her place to be a hero, to try and be a hero for them, the family didn't deserve it.

Vincent's plan wasn't a great one when it came to the family and Always and Forever. The same Always and Forever Kol had only briefly been a part of, but anything for family. Anything for Hope. It'd mean that he'd never see his siblings again, or at least until Freya had found a way to fix this. The end of Always and Forever would mean that he could start his Always and Forever with Bella. Finally a valid reason to stay away from his siblings as far as possible.

He just didn't like it that he had to have a part of an even darker soul inside of him. He hoped that it wouldn't have such an impact on him than he expected, he didn't want to be even worse to Bella than he already felt sometimes. But oh, when she drew her first breath after coming back to life, it felt great. That she was freaking out and screaming, was not.

"Hey, hey, it's alright darling," Kol shushed her as he got onto the bed with her to hold her. "Welcome back."

She was then sobbing in his arms. "Klaus killed me, he was angry with me and…"

"That was all for show," he pushed her hair out of her face and dried her tears with his sleeve. "It had to feel and look real in case the Hollow did put a tracking spell on you or something else."

"I didn't know I was going to die!"

"And you will still die, unless you feed, but you still have a few hours to think about it, but at least you're safe," he said gently and waited for her to calm down some more. "You're alright now. You're safe. You had a great nap for a couple of days."

"But why him, and not you?"

"Like I said, it had to look and feel real in case the Hollow kept an eye on you," he repeated slowly and squeezed her a little bit. "You're okay now. The Hollow is almost defeated, we just have to do one small thing to get her out of Hope."

"She's in Hope?!" Bella squeaked.

"Relax, darling," he smiled at her. "Hope is fine and she won't be hurt in the process. It only means that you and I are going far away from my siblings as we can't be together anymore after we save her. We can't use the bones of the Hollow herself now that she's taken Hope and of course, we're not going to kill Hope. Instead, the four of us will carry a part of the Hollow inside of us and we cannot ever reunite unless Freya comes up with a better solution. We need to keep New Orleans and Hope safe."

"Klaus too?"

"Yeah, Klaus won't be around to watch his daughter grow up, sadly. But she'll be safe, and that's what's important," he planted a kiss on top of her head. "Of course, we all can keep in touch over the phone and you won't be restricted from seeing everyone else, but… I truly hope you'll stick around so that you and I can travel the world together. Do things together. See things. Evolve as two people together?"

"But you'll be sad."

"No, darling," he smiled again and held her tighter. "I'll be very happy because I will be with you."

She knew Kol would be miserable without her, and she would be the same without him. She needed to further this transition to vampire, because she didn't want to be consecrated, or buried/burned, in New Orleans. And while she had grown a lot as a witch, there was no turning back now. She had to learn how to be a vampire now. She just hoped that it wouldn't have such an effect on her as alcohol did, that her emotions would stay in check like they were now. "I like your arms around me like this," she said softly as she nestled herself into his lap. "How long do we have?"

"Do you feel any different?" He wanted to say 'forever', but Vincent had insisted that the sooner the Hollow was out of Hope, the better. Kol just didn't want Bella to have to rush into things. "Thirsty? Hungry? Cold?"

"I feel quite like myself. A little bit hungry, sure, but when was the last time I ate, anyway?" When she heard trumpet music, she looked around, confused. "Isn't this guy at St. Ann's?"

"He still is at St. Ann's," Kol snorted and kissed the top of her head. "The longer you are in transition, the more you'll get annoyed at things. Or hungry. Or angry. Or sad."

"Klaus doesn't like me, does he?"

"He does, darling, as I said, he only made a show out of killing you because of the Hollow." Oh, she was in transition alright, but her self control was still in charge. For now. "The sooner you drink some human blood, the easier it is for you."

"Really?"

"Yes. I've seen people go through the entire 24 hours…" a dark smirk then appeared on his face. "I might have told them to hold off to see what happens. And it wasn't pretty. You simply have to drink a little more than a sip." Running as far as he can after the spell by Vincent that saves his niece with a newbie vampire? Sure, why not?

"Am I the first you sired after coming back?"

"Yes," he smiled at her. "I'm not really interested in a large amount of sirelings, I mean… My brothers seek power from that, but we know better."

"Magic."

"Magic," he grinned and kissed the top of her head. "Would you like me to make you a sandwich?"

She thought for a moment and nodded. "And maybe some blood to wash it down with?"

"Really?"

She nodded. "I trust you. So when you say that the sooner I go through this, the better, then so be it."

"I'll be right back then," he kissed the top of her head again and lifted her off his lap to fetch her a sandwich and some blood.

Sighing, Bella got off the bed and started to check herself over. She was still wearing her bloodied clothes. There was a hole where Klaus had stabbed her with the knife. She could still feel the steel blade inside of her though. It was cold and rusty and there might have been some residue of something else on it. Definitely not hygienic. She changed clothes and felt better now that she was wearing a dress again.

Did she feel any different? If she allowed herself to feel, then maybe? She was annoyed by the trumpet player, the trumpet bouncing off the walls of her brain, creating an echo and she wanted to do something about it. To kill him. To shove the trumpet up his - Bella stared at herself in the mirror in shock. Was she really thinking these things?

She could hear someone walk outside the room and it wasn't Kol. She turned around to see who it was and was relieved when it was Myriam. Happy, Bella went over to hug her friend, but already ran faster and knocked her friend off her feet and had them both fall onto the floor. "Sorry!"

"That's okay," Myriam said as she got to her feet and pulled Bella up too. "Even in transition you're experiencing a less intense way of vampirism. I guess nobody told you that."

Bella shook her head and nearly wanted to cry again. She hadn't meant for literally tackling her best friend, in fact, she didn't even know she could! "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Myriam said again and hugged her friend. "I just came here to check up on you, to see how you're doing while Kol is briefly distracted by something."

"I'm not going to see you again, am I?"

"Of course you are!" Myriam laughed. "Klaus and Kol need to stay away from each other, doesn't mean we have to! You can come visit us and I can come visit you."

"Okay, good," Bella let out a breath and nodded. "I don't want to miss you."

"You'll be fine," Myriam smiled at her. "Kol will take real good care of you, you know that. And, with you turning into a vampire, you won't have to worry about the Ancestors wanting you back and punish you for being with us anymore. You and Kol can do whatever you two want."

"Apart from him seeing his siblings."

"Yes, but I doubt he minds anyway," Myriam smiled at her. "And you and I are still going to be in the vet business together. You're not going to give up on that, are you? Trust me when I say that that brain power of yours is only going to expand once you completely turn. Imagine all the things you can learn!"

"What's Kol distracted with?" Bella wondered, feeling as if she was feverish all of a sudden. Coldness creeping underneath her skin, making her shiver. It also felt as if it was electric underneath her skin, and she started to rub her arms, agitated.

Myriam let out a snort as she let go of her friend and sat down in a chair to observe Bella. "Anxious, are we?"

"N-No?"

"You always rub your arms when you're anxious. Or unsure. Or frustrated."

Bella stopped and paused for a moment and realized that she was indeed all of the above. "Huh. I never realized it felt this way," she said, impressed with the way she was feeling what she was feeling.

Myriam was slightly worried about this. Granted, there had always been a chance that by becoming a vampire Bella would have to learn how to deal with her emotions and feelings because they got enhanced, but a part of Myriam had wished that it wouldn't happen. Bella was going to have a hard time adjusting, and learning her emotions all over again. She was still scratching her arms, now, but what would happen if she was a full vampire and she'd get anxious in the middle of a crowded city?

Of course, it wasn't Myriam's problem. It was Kol's, because Kol was going to take Bella with him while the family had to split up for Hope's sake. And Kol would be good for Bella, and he, too, had to learn to deal with Bella's emotional state. This was going to prove quite interesting!

"I'm sorry, I got distracted," Kol said as he ran into the room, basically appearing before Bella and Myriam, holding a sandwich and a glass of freshly tapped blood. Only the best for his Bella. "Are you alright?"

"You're going to have your hands full with that one," Myriam grinned as she relaxed into her chair. "I can't wait to see-"

"Out," Kol said playfully, not looking at Myriam but at Bella instead, whose brown eyes had widened in surprise and perhaps a little disgust from the blood. Or the sandwich. He really wished it was the sandwich that was offensive to her, it would make things a lot easier if she hated the sandwich. After Myriam had made herself scarce, he smirked at Bella. "What tickles your fancy, darling?"

"Both," she said as she happily took the glass and lifted the sandwich off the plate, only to dip it into the blood and taking a bite out of it. Kol found this disgusting. "Oh, so good," she said with a full mouth as she dipped her sandwich into the blood again and took another bite as a moan escaped her lips.

"Darling, please just eat the sandwich or drink the blood…" Kol winced.

With a smirk, she drained the glass of blood and with the sandwich she scooped up the remaining blood in the glass before eating her sandwich.

Playful Bella. Playful Bella was something he remembered vaguely, but with fondness, and this playful Bella was going to be a handful. "Feel better then?"

"Yes, thank you," she smiled at him. "I'm feeling good and I'll behave while you and your siblings help Hope," she wasn't just feeling good, she was feeling terrific. Her body was warming up from the little blood she had ingested and she wanted _more_. She wanted to experience everything. Bella wanted to run, to be free. She felt free and all giddy and it was strange. She needed to fight herself to contain herself. Because this wasn't the right time. She had so many thoughts and ideas in her brain and it was thrilling and scary. "I'll be here."

He let out a slight chuckle. "I think I still have some time, what's going on?"

"I feel like I'm drunk but sober and everything is so clear, and so loud and-" Bella could hear the musician at St. Ann's choke on his instrument, followed by Myriam laughing and couldn't help but smile. "I feel like I'm going to explode. There's so much I need to adjust to. To stop. To feel. To touch. To… let go… my mind is going so fast, I can't keep up. I want to run and on the other hand, I don't know what to do or if I should do things despite not being able to control everything and it's confusing and strange and frankly, I think me turning into a vampire is like the best idea ever as I can be with you and I'm not dead again, but it's also the worst idea because I think it only made things worse for me."

"Breathe," Kol laughed as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Breathe slowly and calm down. Nobody is expecting you to know everything, to control yourself or to be a well adjusted vampire. Bella, you just only ingested human blood and you're going to need more, but as of right now, you're one of us and you're new at this. You don't have to worry about making a slight mistake or two."

"I know that, but I'm staying here, in our room, until you're done so we can leave together. Because I can't be alone out there right now," she said as she pointed out the window. "I need to learn things again, and that's alright, but right now the more pressing matter is to save your niece and after that, you can teach me."

"Would you like to have a human to play with?" He cheekily smiled at her as he squeezed her shoulders. "To keep you entertained long enough?"

"And then kill it because I can't control myself?" She blinked at him. "No. I'm going to find my backpack and pack some stuff I am taking with. I need to throw out all the stones."

He understood her reasoning all too well, the world was once again a frightening place for her and she needed to learn how to deal with it. "Don't throw them out, leave them for Freya," he said as he kissed her forehead. "And only pack what we can't replace. Like your books with your notes in them. Focus on that and I'll come when we're done. Don't be scared, everything is going to be alright, darling, I promise you that."

It wasn't even ten minutes later that Kol appeared back into the room and pulled Bella along with him, now that she could keep up with him. They'd run to the airport to their private jet and have her contained just a little bit longer as they'd fly to a different continent, one that his siblings would never go to. Maybe Australia. Or Africa, he'd make up his mind later.

They stopped at the airport and Bella took a deep breath. Not that she needed to breathe, it was a normal, human response. "Woah, what a rush!" She said excitedly, pushing her hair out of her face and grinning like a loon.

Australia. Bella was going to love diving and visiting the reefs. He helped her inside the plane and sat her down. "Now, we're going to have human staff on board to serve us," he said seriously. "They are compelled to comply. You can even request some of their blood, but please don't kill them. Nik is going to be so pissed when we return this plane all decked out in blood spatter."

"I'll be good."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah," Bella let out a breath as she caught a whiff of one of the staff. "Or maybe not… she smells good."

"Sit and stay. Don't make me compel you," he laughed as he nodded to the woman. "Please inform the pilot we'd like to go to Australia this time. He can choose the airport."

"Of course, Mr. Mikaelson. Can we get you anything?"

"Two glasses of your lovely blood, darling, and a whole bottle of wine," he winked at her before sitting down himself and placed his hand on Bella's leg to keep her seated. This trip was going to be an endurance trip for her. If she could resist temptation on a plane with four humans on board, she could resist temptation anywhere.

But he believed that her emotions were going to be a bigger problem and for the next twenty four hours or so, they were going to be contained on this plane. While Kol wasn't one to have mastered control himself, mostly because he didn't care about it and only tried his very best around Bella, his control, or lack thereof, was blood related. Oh, and anger. But Bella helped him with that. Just being with her again helped him so much. Davina had tried to help and he had pretended to be helped by her, but in the end, it had been Bella all along who had been the one for him.

He had failed to notice, until know, that Bella was staring at his hand on her leg as if it was something foreign, alien. "Sorry, darling," he said as he retracted his hand, realizing it was on her inner thigh instead of a 'safe zone'.

"That felt great, though," she muttered.

He blinked in surprise. "What was that?"

"You heard me," she said as she looked at him. "I didn't mind your hand there, it felt good."

Oh, he knew it was merely Bella's body and mind firing on all synapses and she needed to contain them, but he so wanted to touch her again. More. Deeply. Kiss her senseless. But no. She needed to be in her right mind first. Get used to this new life of hers. Kol took her hand instead and kissed it. "That is good to know, darling, but you've only just turned. You need some time to adjust."

"Do I?" she questioned. "I feel the same, more free and less restricted, but I feel mostly the same. Everything is more intense. Beautiful and colorful. It's as if my turning has expanded my brain, tiny explosions going off inside my head and it's beautiful." She took a deep breath and nodded as she checked herself. "I'm still me. I mean, you can touch me, you make me feel safe and I trust you. I still have problems with others, I know this, I can feel it."

Her statements were going to be a problem. Likely. Maybe. While it was no secret that werewolves and hybrids were sired, loyal, to their Alpha or creator, it was rare in vampires. At least, not that rare, seeing as Damon Salvatore had two vampires, and perhaps countless of others, sired to him. At least one still was, she was counting bricks in the French Quarter. He didn't want Bella to be sired to him. She needed to be able to be on her own. Then again, she needed someone to take care of her when she was a human still, so it hadn't changed that much? He made a mental note to have her checked over by a witch in Australia and until then, he was going to be a complete gentleman to his Bella. She needed time.

But oh boy, if she was going to allow him to touch her in places he previously hadn't ventured, then they were both up for an adventure.

Then again, would it really that bad if Bella was sired to him? She'd been loyal to him as a human. She didn't have one bad bone in her body and that made her so adorable. Of course it would be bad if she was sired to him. He could take advantage of that when he wasn't keeping himself in check. Because she was so adorable. He didn't want to ruin her.

"You're going to like Australia," he smiled at her. "It's warmer than the French Riviera and they have a lovely witch community."

"I'll be with you," she smiled at him. "We'll have some fun and we're both not alone."

"Too right," he gladly took the blood from the stewardess as the plane started to taxi to the runway. "We are going to have so much fun. And a lot of swimming and exploring!"

She took the glass of blood and noticed that the stewardess had a cut on her hand. It didn't take a genius to figure out that this great tasting blood came from the girl. Bella could smell the blood through the bandage. Bella could feel her face change and she was about to jump the stewardess before Kol pushed her back into her seat.

"Glass. Not her. Take it from the glass, control yourself," he told her as he held on to her wrists as she was seated. "The glass," he repeated, releasing the side where she was holding the glass and she drank it, eagerly. "Good girl. You'll get more in a bit, but no snacking on the staff. In the meantime, we can have human food and alcohol. Alcohol helps with the hunger too." She had such a pretty vampire face. Angelic, almost. Oh, he was definitely smitten and was glad when she relaxed again and her human face returned. "There you go," he smiled at her. "You can snack on a human in Australia if you want to, I'll teach you then."

"Sorry," she muttered. "But she smelled so good and so full!"

"I know, darling, I know," he said as he let go of her, confident that she'd restrain herself for at least another few hours. "I promise you, as soon as we clear the airport in Australia, we're going hunting before finding us a place to stay."

She nodded as she tried to settle in her seat for take off, but as soon as the plane levelled out, she started moving. Getting to her feet, she started to pace around, grabbing her ears and closing her eyes as she tried to tune out the noise of the engines. Kol had seen her do this often in the past, especially during Mardi Gras. However, she managed to deal with it then, she didn't need his help now. "It's alright, darling," Kol said as he stayed seated. "Tune it out. Like you did with the trumpets." Oh, hell, he wanted to help her.

Kol wanted to scoop her up and kiss her senseless, telling her everything was going to be alright and she'd even out eventually. But no. Not until she realized that the feelings she was having were real and natural. She loved him, he knew this. All of her actions had told him this and he loved her too. As long as he didn't mention the word 'relationship', all was well.

He could always compel her. But he wasn't going to. If Myriam found out, she'd skin him alive. Besides, Bella didn't need any compulsion. She was strong, she had this. In any case, he could now safely snap her neck when she became too much of a handful on a plane, but it was likely that he would pay for that later.

Bella pointed at the glass of wine that was still on the table. "I don't think that's a good idea," she said as she shook her head, before pausing. "Wait. I can't get drunk anymore, right?"

"Oh, you still can," he mused. "But it'll take a lot to get you drunk now. Granted, to stave off hunger we usually drink something stronger, such as bourbon, but a nice wine is a good way to start our separation from the rest of the family."

Bella sighed as she sat down on her knees in front of him and took his hands. "How does it feel, inside?"

"It's getting less the further away we are from New Orleans and each other," he replied, referring to the part of the Hollow that was inside of him. "It was bouncing around in my head at first, I could hear the whispers and feel the intent, but in that way my siblings and I are the perfect vessels to hold this evil, there's not much of our souls left to save. We've done terrible things in the past and we know how to handle dark thoughts."

"I refuse to believe that," she said as she squeezed his hands. "I've always refused to believe that your soul can't be saved or at least partially salvaged through your actions. You've been on the right path for a while now."

"And this is why I like you," he smiled at her. "Your unconditional ability to see the good in people and if they're not good, pretend that they are anyway."

"Is that such a bad thing?"

"Naive, maybe, but also refreshing as we tend to think the worst of people at first sight, before even considering they might not be," he reached out to caress her cheek. "But coming back to your question, I don't think the Hollow will be a problem after we've scattered across the globe. And when she is, I'm certain you'll be able to keep me sane." He loved the way she was sitting now, close, looking at him with her beautiful eyes and that lovely smile of hers. Holding his hands and the perfect spot to suck him dry. Kol silently scolded himself and tried to focus his thoughts. "I suppose we're both going through some changes."

Bella nodded before biting her lip as she looked at him. "So uh… what do you normally do when you have too much energy?"

She had to bite her lip. Minx. Swallowing hard, he took a deep breath. "Well, Rebekah and I like to go out and party, why do you think we were in so many clubs in France? It was fun and we could get rid of some of the energy. Of course, Rebekah found several one night stands, too, as that definitely helps too."

"Why would she want a night stand? Several of them, won't that crowd the bedroom?"

Kol barked out a laugh. "A one night stand, darling, is when you pick up a random stranger and have sex with them. Usually we keep them alive after."

"But you didn't have them in France, did you?"

"No," he smiled at her. "Because as much as I enjoy having meaningless sex, I'd rather wait until you're ready for all of that."

She was quiet for some time, not moving where she was, still holding his hands. "Sex hurts," was what she eventually said.

"No, Edward hurt you," he said as he got down on his knees in front of her. "We've both made mistakes back then, mostly me. You were pressured by society to find yourself a man to take care of you and I didn't take the time to make sure that Edward was good for you. But, darling, you don't have those pressures anymore. You have the freedom to discover your own sexuality without anyone stopping you, least of all me. And you're doing spectacularly, if I might say."

"But I only like touching you, getting hugged by you, being in your lap, because I trust you and there is more. Loyalty, but more intense."

"That, darling, that's called love. Everything you've done for me, saving me… twice now, came from your heart because of love. You even stuck around for five years to protect me and my family while we were sleeping. It's not what everyone makes it out to be, love is different for everyone. Some people do see pink fluffy elephants on pink little clouds all the time and some people do what you do. Taking care. Making sure everyone's happy."

She was quiet again and then nodded. "Like you're being patient with me and doing a better job at helping me now?"

"Exactly," Kol gently gave her hands a squeeze. "See, I already find that you turning into a vampire has positive sides for you. You're still analytical, but you're able to be more open about your feelings and thoughts, which is beneficial. You don't have to get drunk anymore."

"I'm not scared with you."

"And that's a very good thing. And about your excess of energy, give it some time. Enjoy the buzz for now, it's one of the best things to feel. It's something new and exciting, but know that you are safe with me for all your experiences and to talk about your new sensations."

"Promise?"

"No matter how silly. I promise."

~o.O.o~

It took Bella about two weeks not to get overwhelmed by smells or noises after her turning, but Kol managed to get a witch to see if she was sired to him. Conveniently, she was not. She merely needed more time to adjust, as she had done when she was human. And fortunately, she was a vampire now so she could learn things a lot faster.

She showed excellent control when feeding off of a human, and actually managed to keep the first one she ever bit alive. She just wanted her human to be squeaky clean and smelling good. Kol knew that eventually she'd lower her standards because as of right now, he was keeping her well fed just in case.

It was time for the next step; Kol was going to take her into a bar to have fun with some humans and with each other. Dance. Sit. Make up stories about people they saw, just like they had in France. However, unlike France, Bella was now a vampire and she wasn't afraid to show off a little skin. For him. She had made it perfectly clear that she wanted to wear this dress for him and him alone.

And she was going to get into trouble for it because the dress was shorter than what she usually wore, at least 5 inches shorter. It showed off more skin on top as well, although she had a little cardigan over it to make herself feel a little bit safer. But oh, the dress was gorgeous on her. And yes, other men were going to like it as well.

He didn't tell her that. He'd keep them all away from her if needed. This act of boldness was progress, and he loved her for it.

They sat down in a corner of the bar so that Bella could get used to the loud music, the mass of people and their scents, and the rest of the scents that could prove to be annoying while he got them something to drink. He was certain she'd loosen up again once she felt comfortable and had gotten over her shyness. New situations were hard on Bella, they always had been, but he told her to have the France mindset, everything was alright and safe.

Bella loved to watch him on the dancefloor, he made it look so easy to take a discrete sip from an unsuspected dance partner and she occasionally joined him, merely to be closer to him, not to feed. There were occasions where his snacks were wedged between them, and the way that Kol looked at her made Bella feel all funny inside. She wanted to nestle in his lap and cuddle, but the feeling went deeper.

For a few days now, she had dreams of tiny explosions going off inside her body, clouds and a lack of breath. She dreamt of Kol's hands on her body. Everywhere. And what surprised her most was that she hadn't been scared in her dreams, because he didn't hurt her, it was nice.

She had no doubt that in reality, Kol would be kind to her as well, but how was she going to tell him? The way that he looked at her while this girl was wedged between them was hot and made Bella squirm. Under the guise of getting them another drink, she excused herself to compose herself again. What she was feeling was nuts and the dreams she had had weren't making things easier.

Of course, she'd been texting with Myriam about this, who else could she discuss these things with, and all Myriam responded with was 'LOL'. Laughing Out Loud. But why?

While she was waiting for her and Kol's drink to be put down in front of her, Bella could feel a man standing really close to her, and was that his hand somewhere it shouldn't be? On her ass? Granted, she was wearing a slightly more… _skimpy_ dress than usual, but that was for Kol, but was that an open invitation for others to touch her?

She shifted a little to the right, but the man followed and touched her again. Anger flaring up, Bella grabbed the larger man's hand and could hear the bones snap in the man's fingers before twisting his arm behind his back and pushing his head into the bar. She was surprised by her actions and how strong she actually was and immediately let go of the guy. "My apologies," she said as she grabbed her drinks, ignoring a few stares being shot her way. "I do hope that will teach you not to touch a woman uninvited ever again."

As she walked away with her drinks, she could hear the man following her, and she was just about to do something about it when Kol appeared and pushed the man back. "Walk away," he said venomously to the man and he did as he was told. Kol then put his arm around Bella and walked back with her to their table. "You were fantastic, darling," he praised her. "I have to be careful now, you don't need anyone to take care of you!"

"No, that was horrible," she said as she sat down and quickly drank her drink. "I got so angry for him touching me, this body is ours. Not his." Bella felt the anger bubble up again and finished her drink. "I don't know how or why I hurt that man, maybe I should go find him and-"

"Hey," he said as he sat down on the bench next to her and put his arm around her. "What you did was amazing. Period. It's part of who you are now. It could have been far worse. Well, for him. Breaking someone's fingers and giving them a concussion isn't bad."

It could have been far worse. If Bella hadn't been paying attention, she could have ripped out the guy's heart or go on a rampage.

"You protected yourself. You." He kissed the top of her head. "Nothing malicious. Ordinary humans can't hurt you anymore, darling, you can use physical force to stop them and there is nothing wrong with that. You're a vampire."

"I know…" she looked at him and sighed. "Are you sure it's not a big deal? That it was alright?"

"Yes, darling, it was a brilliant action and I'm certain that if you tell Myriam about it, or even Rebekah, they'll love you for it. Girlpower and all that."

"Okay," she let out a breath and calmed down. "Sorry for ruining your fun."

"Nothing ruined. In fact, you attacking a man three times the size of yourself was the highlight of my night!" Kol exclaimed, a big smile on his face. "So hot, too." He pulled her into his lap and gently brushed his lips against her ear as he brought his face closer to hers. Kol had been well aware of Bella's _dreams_ over the last few days as he had caught some of it as she moaned and tossed in her sleep. Like the cheeky bastard that he was, he had slipped into her mind and witnessed the dreams and had liked what he saw.

And he might have been personally responsible for creating one of her dreams after discovering this side to her. He didn't feel like he'd been violating her, Kol had been keeping an eye on her emotional stability and development and only created such a dream when he found her open to the experience. He had nudged the dream, and then had left her head to let it unfold on its own.

And it wasn't as if they stuck to the 'safe zones' when touching each other, either. Occasionally, he allowed his hands to roam over her thighs over her clothes or underneath her skirts, and she did the same, although she had no idea that she was going into the 'danger zone' most of the time. Or perhaps she did.

Kol could understand if kissing was something she'd be afraid of, that that had to grow. Two faces close to each other, lips touching lips or even tongues could be daunting. Then again, she was broken in the sexuality aspect of things thanks to the past, and all Kol could do was to be patient. But he was being too patient, he believed, and it was time for him to push a little further. Bella had now proven that she could say 'no' to a complete stranger, surely she'd say 'no' to him if she didn't like what he was doing?

"I couldn't be more proud of you," he whispered in her ear as he held her against him. Yes, she was in the right mind now. Her body shivered against his because she liked this. "And I really like the dress you are wearing," he whispered again, his hand now running up her leg to her inner thigh. "I like all your dresses and all your clothes but this one… you're driving me mad."

She let out a slight giggle. "Here?"

"Why not? Here… there… everywhere…" Kol planted a kiss on her neck. "We can do whatever we want."

"Not here," she sighed as she leaned into him, her head against his shoulder to give him more access to her neck. It was almost instinctual the way she moved against him. "Home."

Oh, shy little Bella. He let out a snort before kissing her neck again, squeezing her inner thigh just a little. In time, he was going to make an exhibitionist out of her. There was nothing more enticing and arousing than to have sex in public. However, this was going to be Bella's first experience since Edward, and all he did was hurt her. No, this had to be in private. "Now?"

"Why not?" She reached for his untouched drink and downed it, before putting her arms around his neck. "Ready."

Their lovemaking was sweet and long, Kol made sure that Bella was thoroughly enjoying herself and feeling how intensely her skin felt with all the stimuli. It drove her to complete and utter but blissful destruction and she flew apart so beautifully against him. She hungered for more though, so after he brought them someone to snack on, they continued their lovemaking.

Sex, _love_ , didn't hurt, and he was glad that Bella got to see this side of relationships.

They spent a few more months in Australia before going to Hawaii. Bella had blossomed to a self assured person who had grown more comfortable in her own skin. She still had her quirks, they hadn't changed, but Kol couldn't be happier about her. He had his fun Bella back, his quick witted, fun Bella who wasn't burdened by deeds or experiences of the past or pesky witches.

Myriam came to visit them in Hawaii, giving Kol a much needed update about his family. He had thrown out his old phone and gotten a new one, only to give Bella his number. He was the only one of his siblings that didn't mind the separation and Myriam lamented that it was unfortunate that Klaus was a creature of habit and Elijah had basically claimed all of Klaus' favourite art spots.

Kol and Bella stuck to the warmer climates for the years that the siblings couldn't come together, and it all changed when Bella received a message on her phone from Freya, five years after she and Vincent had put parts of the Hollow in her siblings to protect their niece, and Kol wasn't happy about it. His life was fine as it was right now, why complicate it again?

 _We have found a way to reunite everyone. Come home - Freya._

 ***THE END***

* * *

 **Thank you all for reading and commenting! Keep your eyes out for the first new story of 2018 called "Intertwined", it'll be a Kol/Bella and it's going to be a hoot! In the meantime, head on over to meekobuggy here on ffnet, it's the channel Meeko and I post our collaborations. "Between Heaven And Hell" is a Bella/Kol and it's so much fun!**

 **Happy Holidays!**

 **Buggy.**


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